Machines that Make machines Hod Lipson Mechanical

Machines that Make machines Hod Lipson Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Computing & Information Science Cornell University College of Engineering Computational Synthesis Lab http: //ccsl. mae. cornell. edu

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

Fab. Lab 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 (60 nm)

Printed Active Materials Some of our printed electromechanical / biological components: (a) elastic joint (b) zinc-air battery (c) metalalloy 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. With Evan Malone

Zinc-Air Batteries With Megan Berry

IPMC Actuators

Multi-material 3 D Printer CAT Scan Sterile Cartridge Printed Agarose Meniscus Cell Impregnated Alginate Hydrogel Direct 3 D Print after 20 min. 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 Digital PDP-11, 1969 • Today: – Faster, cheaper, better, easier Stratasys FDM Vantage, 2005

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

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 (2 MHz, 256 bytes RAM) Generally credited with launching the PC revolution

Fab@Home Low cost, hackable, fablabable, open source

Bottom-up Fabrication

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

Dynamically Programmable Self Assembly

Construction Sequence High Pressure Low Pressure

Construction Sequence

Construction Sequence

Construction Sequence

Construction Sequence

Construction Sequence

Reconfiguration Sequence

Reconfiguration Sequence

Implementation 2 Inside of the cube: • Servoactuated 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 x 16 With Paul White, Victor Zykov

300 µm With David Erickson, Mike Tolley

Conclusions • • Universal Designer Universal fabricator – Makes shapes, circuits, sensors, actuators, energy & information processing • Top-down approach – Printable machines • Bottom-Up approach – Dynamical self–assembly Cornell University College of Engineering Computational Synthesis Lab http: //ccsl. mae. cornell. edu

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