This is a quick sketch I made early on while I was contemplating using servo motors as a replacement for pneumatics as a potential backup in case the pneumatics did not work for any reason. I explored twisting, vibrating, and pushing points through planes of fabric and the potential visual effects that the deformation might create. The effect would be a wall of panels, each with a different type of movement and behavior.
Moving forward with the pneumatic idea for now, I began building a moodboard with interesting colonial and microbial organisms. I collected pictures of mosses, Portuguese men of war, and other kinds of Siphonophore and . Additionally some designers I looked at include Neri Oxman, Nervous System Design, and others.
Why organic forms? One reason has to do with the nature of the data. Although we might think of the electronic world as being precise and exacting, it can also be counter-intuitive and alien to our biological senses and modes of communication. Representing electronics data with organic movement, I hoped to make the data more tangible, but also more evocative and relatable.
In a similar vein, I believe the relationship between the artificial input and the organic response of the organism creates an interesting contrast in theme, representing artificial and exacting electronic data in a subjective, emotional way.
Finally, I felt that organic forms best fit silicone as a material. It’s tissue-like stretchiness and texture reminded me a lot of human organs and skin in a very visceral way. Looking at other projects that make use of the material, this organ-like property is often exploited to great effect.
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Based on the moodboard I created, I began exploring forms and structures modeled after the cells and membranes found in the organisms I referenced. I listed the data types I wanted to represent at the top and started thinking about what each type might best be represented in movement and in texture. For WiFi, I thought about breathing. For electromagnetic noise, I thought about skin or waves, or ripples. For bluetooth connections, I looked at bubbles or different levels of discrete inflation.
Based on the initial sketches I made, I selected one of the sketches where I felt the form and movement fit and began exploring how the arrangement of each organ fit combined and fit around each other. While I wanted to explore 3D forms at first, manufacturing limitations that I will discuss in the next section largely limited my scope to flatter primarily 2D forms.
TOBI is a soft robotic form made with silicone (specifically Smooth-on Dragon Pro) and actuated through Arduino controlled air pumps and valves. I developed both in tandem, with the silicone process taking longer than the actuation.
Since this was the first time working with silicone, I did a series of iterations to develop a process/workflow building up to my final prototype.
The first prototype I developed explores the fidelity of forms and curves possible with the 3D printing process and what can be captured in the silicone. I intentionally chose thin, curving shapes to create a complex form as a test piece.
The workflow I developed involves creating a vector image in Adobe Illustrator that can be imported into Solidworks as a dxf file. I then created a positive of the part I wanted before splitting it and creating the moulds with the negative form. I then 3D printed the moulds before filling them in with silicone and waiting for it to cure. I learned from this first test that the silicone is able to capture very minute levels of detail with no issue and that the 3D printer is able to render the an adequate level of detail.