The tools and processes of digital fabrication have progressed exponentially since its inception. From the first uses of computers to aid in production to the invention of the 3d printer technology has always been a founding aspect in the evolution of digital fabrication. I would like to suggest that the next breakthrough in Digital Fabrication is one that has already permeated the field, interactivity. With Interactivity not only can the products produced through digital fabrication improve, but the process of creation can become more intuitive, easier to grasp, or even allow for the creation of art and objects not otherwise possible.
Starting with fabrication’s current relationship to interactivity, it is easy to see the parallels and importance that fabrication brings to the field. One of the key fields in this area is exhibition design. Exhibition design is the craft of creating and curating exhibits for the public, most often for a museum or public space. While the means of fabrication in this line of work are relatively standard when compared to fabrication as a whole, the relationship between the maker and the final product is very different from many other fields. In a video published by Adam Savage’s Tested Emily Shaw, an exhibition designer working at the Smithsonian’s Exhibition department talks about the process of creating an exhibition for a museum. She mentions the importance of understanding space and how it is being utilized when designing interactive elements.
Another example of design for interactive spaces is the studio Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf is a production company and studio specializing in the creation of interactive spaces and art pieces. These spaces bridge the gap between interaction and fabrication in a deeper more intimate way than standard exhibition design.
This is Omega Mart, a permanent installation in Las Vegas created by Meow Wolf. In this installation, Meow Wolf set up a fake supermarket where
“participants are greeted with an extraordinary supermarket featuring surreal products like Tattoo Chicken and Influence in a Bottle. Portals lead to unexpected, art-filled landscapes where immersed shoppers can uncover the narrative behind Omega Mart and its parent company, Dramcorp.”
Meow Wolf uses digital fabrication in combination with other mediums in order to create sets and experiences that allow the viewer to interact directly with the work and in many cases, the artist’s responsible. It is these considerations of interactions and space that will lead to breakthroughs in the processes of fabrication.
The connection between interaction and the actual process of fabrication has seen many breakthroughs in the last few years. I believe these applications are the next step in both the design of interactive spaces and general fabrication. Through these advancements the barrier of entry to fabrication would drop drastically, as users would not have to work through CAD programs and instead work directly with the material. As of now, the most common advancements in interactive fabrications have been modifications of existing methods of fabrication. An example of a modification of existing fabrication technologies is HCI Engineerings’ use of laser pointers to manually control a laser cutter.
This would allow makers to rapid prototype directly onto the material using varying constraints in order to maintain accuracy. Some more experimental examples of Interactive fabrication come from researchers at Carnegie Mellon in their paper “Interactive Fabrication: New Interfaces for Digital Fabrication.” In this study, reasearchers modified existing tech like a cnc machine that was modified with a touch screen and an extruder designed to extrude polyurethane foam.
The researchers also created new interfaces for interactive fabrication, such as the ” Speaker” a device that used sound waves to bend thin wire.
These experiments in intefacing and fabrication not only allow for more interesting forms of fabrication, but have the potential to lower the barrier of entry for creatives into digital fabrication. Combining these new methods of creation with the already booming field of interactive design such as exhibition design or experience design, the potential for these new technologies expand exponentially. The possibilities of both the creator and the user or viewer to not only interact with the work directly, but modify or even add to the work post production creates near infinite possibilites for digital fabrication as a whole.
Sources:
“Adam Savage Meets a Smithsonian Exhibit Designer!” YouTube, 23 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG1dNQ7RbEg.
Stefanie Mueller, Pedro Lopes, and Patrick Baudisch. 2012. Interactive construction: interactive fabrication of functional mechanical devices.
Lee Y-C, Llach DC. Hybrid Embroidery: Exploring Interactive Fabrication in Handcrafts. Leonardo. 2020;53(4):429-433. doi:10.1162/leon_a_01931
Çamcı, Anıl, and John Granzow. “Hyperreal Instruments: Bridging VR and Digital Fabrication to Facilitate New Forms of Musical Expression.” Leonardo music journal 29 (2019): 14–18.
Karl D.D. Willis Cheng Xu Kuan-Ju Wu Golan Levin Mark D Gross, Interactive Fabrication: New Interfaces for Digital Fabrication Carnegie Mellon University