Machines that Make machines Hod Lipson Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Computing & Information Science Cornell University Computational Synthesis Lab Cornell University College of Engineering

The two meta-challenges of Engineering: 1.Design a machines that can design other machines 2.Make a machine that can make other machines

Machines that Design Machines Lipson & Pollack, Nature 406, 2000

Need more design space

FabLab in a box Fablabers are distinguished by disciplinary desegregation Lots of machines can make parts of other machines Is there a universal fabricator? –Top down approaches –Bottom up approaches

Printable Machines

The Universal Fabricator On a single machine Make arbitrary shapes / structure –preassembled mechanisms and parts Make arbitrary circuits –Sensing, processing, power and actuation Achieve large range of functionalities –Use large range of materials Increase design space –Afforded by co-fabrication

Analog vs. Digital Continuous paths Volume Fill High-resolution patterning, mixing Thin films (60nm)

Some of our printed electromechanical / biological components: (a) elastic joint (b) zinc-air battery (c) metal- alloy wires, (d) IPMC actuator, (e) polymer field-effect transistor, (f) thermoplastic and elastomer parts, (g) cartilage cell-seeded implant in shape of sheep meniscus from CT scan. Printed Active Materials With Evan Malone

Zinc-Air Batteries With Megan Berry

IPMC Actuators

Printed Agarose Meniscus Cell Impregnated Alginate Hydrogel CAT Scan Direct 3D Print after 20 min. Sterile Cartridge Multi-material 3D Printer With Larry Bonassar, Daniel Cohen

The Universal Fabricator: Parallel to the Universal Computer In the 60’s, a computer –Cost > $100,000 –Size: Refrigerator –Speed: Hours/job –Operation: Trained staff –Usability: Maintenance intensive Today: –Faster, cheaper, better, easier Digital PDP-11, 1969 Stratasys FDM Vantage, 2005

Exponential Growth Source: Wohlers Associates, 2004 report RP Machine Sales

Critical Mass The computer took off when it infiltrated the home market Solved the chicken and egg problem: –People were motivated to write software for their own needs because there was available hardware –People were motivated to buy hardware because there was software to run on it

The First Home Computer ALTAIR 8800 microcomputer kit (1975) –$397 (2MHz, 256 bytes RAM) Generally credited with launching the PC revolution

Low cost, hackable, fablabable, open source

Bottom-up Fabrication

Self-assembling machines Fukuda et al: CEBOT, 1988 Yim et al: PolyBot, 2000 Chiang and Chirikjian, 1993 Rus et al, 1998, 2001  Murata et al: Fracta, 1994  Murata et al, 2000  Jørgensen et al: ATRON, 2004  Zykov & Lipson, 2005 Modular Robotics: high complexity, do not scale in size Stochastic Systems: scale in size, limited complexity  Whitesides et al, 1998  Winfree et al, 1998

Dynamically Programmable Self Assembly

Construction Sequence High Pressure Low Pressure

Construction Sequence

Reconfiguration Sequence

Implementation 2 Inside of the cube: Servo- actuated valves Basic Stamp II controller Central fluid manifold Communicatio n, power transmission lines Embossed fluid manifold Hermaphroditic interface Orifices for fluid flow With Paul White, Victor Zykov

Implementation 2: Fluidic Bonding Movie accelerated x16 With Paul White, Victor Zykov

With David Erickson, Mike Tolley 300 µm

Conclusions Universal Designer Universal fabricator –Makes shapes, circuits, sensors, actuators, energy & information processing Top-down approach –Printable machines Bottom-Up approach –Dynamical self–assembly Computational Synthesis Lab Cornell University College of Engineering

Credits Viktor Zykov Evan Malone Mike Tolley Daniel Cohen Also: Paul White, David Erickson