Incorporating accurate physics-based simulation into interactive design tools is challenging. However, adding the physics accurately becomes crucial to several emerging technologies. For example, in virtual augmented reality (VR AR) videos, the faithful reproduction of surrounding audios is required to bring the immersion to the next level. Similarly, as personal fabrication is made possible with accessible 3D printers, more intuitive tools that respect the physical constraints can help artists to prototype designs. One main hurdle is the sheer amount of computation complexity to accurately reproduce the real-world phenomena through physics-based simulation. In my thesis research, I develop interactive tools that implement efficient physics-based simulation algorithms for automatic optimization and intuitive user interaction.
@cite_9: Digital fabrication has enabled massive creativity in hobbyist communities and professional product design. These emerging technologies excel at realizing an arbitrary shape or form; however these objects are often rigid and lack the feel desired by designers. We aim to enable physical haptic design in passive 3D printed objects. This paper identifies two core areas for extending physical design into digital fabrication: designing the external and internal haptic characteristics of an object. We present HapticPrint as a pair of design tools to easily modify the feel of a 3D model. Our external tool maps textures and UI elements onto arbitrary shapes, and our internal tool modifies the internal geometry of models for novel compliance and weight characteristics. We demonstrate the value of HapticPrint with a range of applications that expand the aesthetics of feel, usability, and interactivity in 3D artifacts.
@cite_6: In this paper, we explore how to embody mechanical computation into 3D printed objects, i.e., without electronic sensors, actuators, or controllers typically used for this purpose. A key benefit of our approach is that the resulting objects can be 3D printed in one piece and thus do not require assembly. We are building on 3D printed cell structures, also known as metamaterials. We introduce a new type of cell that propagates a digital mechanical signal using an embedded bistable spring. When triggered, the embedded spring discharges and the resulting impulse triggers one or more neighboring cells, resulting in signal propagation. We extend this basic mechanism to implement simple logic functions. We demonstrate interactive objects based on this concept, such as a combination lock. We present a custom editor that allows users to model 3D objects, route signals, simulate signal flow, and synthesize cell patterns.
@cite_2: We introduce Acoustruments: low-cost, passive, and power-less mechanisms, made from plastic, that can bring rich, tangible functionality to handheld devices. Through a structured exploration, we identified an expansive vocabulary of design primitives, providing building blocks for the construction of tangible interfaces utilizing smartphones' existing audio functionality. By combining design primitives, familiar physical mechanisms can all be constructed from passive elements. On top of these, we can create end-user applications with rich, tangible interactive functionalities. Our experiments show that Acoustruments can achieve 99 accuracy with minimal training, is robust to noise, and can be rapidly prototyped. Acoustruments adds a new method to the toolbox HCI practitioners and researchers can draw upon, while introducing a cheap and passive method for adding interactive controls to consumer products.
To design custom-shaped geometries with more complex physical phenomena, offline computational optimization is usually used in the design process. Digital Mechanical Metamaterials proposes to embody mechanical movements into 3D printed objects using a modular method @cite_6 . Each of the modular cells is specially designed such that they can pass digital information when connected together. Acoustruments introduced a passive acoustic-based mechanisms for interactive controls on smartphones @cite_2 . Through carefully designed tube geometries and materials, an expansive dataset of design primitives is generated for easy construction. To reproduce physical haptic interaction during fabrication, HapticPrint explores and builds a library of various patterns to different types of compliance @cite_9 . While this type of research is a promising direction, I would like to investigate how to better combine computational design with intuitive tools for the users.