Advisor: Prof. Hod Lipson hod.lipson@cornell.edu
Goal: Current 3D printers use passive materials (ABS plastic, metal, UV cured resin, etc) to create static replicas of the CAD design. The quest for printable electronics seeks to change this by adding intelligence, actuation and sensing to the 3D printer's palette of build materials. Our approach employs a reservoir of pre-fabricated tiles that interlock as the printer places them (imagine electronic Legos). These tiles communicate and share power with adjacent tiles. By controlling the choice of tile and its position, the printer creates an active assembly (think: printable robots). The tiles have been designed, and a prototype pick-n-place assembler head as been fabricated. You need to use CAD tools and a commercial 3D printer (Objet Connex 500) to make an improved assembler build head, and write control code for a PC (C/C++) to place tiles where they are required in the model.
Skills learned: By participating in this project you will become familiar with the following: (a) Developing embedded hardware/software (b) Real-world feedback control (c) CAD design
Time commitment: Two semesters, 6-8 hours/week (3-4 credits/semester)
More information: To learn more, visit www.fabathome.org. This project is suitable for a single student or a team of two. For more information contact rbm7@cornell.edu or hod.lipson@cornell.edu