Jifei Ou

jamSheets: thin interfaces with tunable stiffness enabled by layer jamming

This works introduces layer jamming as an enabling technology for designing deformable, stiffness-tunable, thin sheet interfaces. Interfaces that exhibit tunable stiffness properties can yield dynamic haptic feedback and shape deformation capabilities. In comparison to the particle jamming, layer jamming allows for constructing thin and lightweight form factors of an interface. We propose five layer structure designs and an approach which composites multiple materials to control the deformability of the interfaces. We also present methods to embed different types of sensing and pneumatic actuation layers on the layer-jamming unit. Through three application prototypes we demonstrate the benefits of using layer jamming in interface design. Finally, we provide a survey of materials that have proven successful for layer jamming.

aeroMorph - Heat-sealing Inflatable Shape-change Materials for Interaction Design

This paper presents a design, simulation, and fabrication pipeline for making transforming inflatables with various materials. We introduce a bending mechanism that creates multiple, programmable shape-changing behaviors with inextensible materials, including paper, plastics and fabrics. We developed a software tool that generates these bending mechanism for a given geometry, simulates its transformation, and exports the compound geometry as digital fabrication files. We show a range of fabrication methods, from manual sealing, to heat pressing with custom stencils and a custom heat-sealing head that can be mounted on usual 3-axis CNC machines to precisely fabricate the designed transforming material. Finally, we present three applications to show how this technology could be used for designing interactive wearables, toys, and furniture.

Cilllia: 3D Printed Micro-Pillar Structures for Surface Texture, Actuation and Sensing

This work presents a method for 3D printing hair-like structures on both flat and curved surfaces. It allows a user to design and fabricate hair geometries that are smaller than 100 micron. We built a software platform to let users quickly define the hair angle, thickness, density, and height. The ability to fabricate customized hair-like structures not only expands the library of 3D-printable shapes, but also enables us to design passive actuators and swipe sensors. We also present several applications that show how the 3D-printed hair can be used for designing everyday interactive objects.

xPrint: A Modularized Liquid Printer for Smart Materials Deposition

To meet the increasing requirements of HCI researchers who are looking into using liquid-based materials (e.g., hydrogels) to create novel interfaces, we present a design strategy for HCI researchers to build and customize a liquid-based smart material printing platform with off-the-shelf or easy-to-machine parts. For the hardware, we suggest a magnetic assembly-based modular design. These modularized parts can be easily and precisely reconfigured with off-the-shelf or easy-to-machine parts that can meet different processing requirements such as mechanical mixing, chemical reaction, light activation, and solution vaporization. In addition, xPrint supports an open-source, highly customizable software design and simulation platform, which is applicable for simulating and facilitating smart material constructions. Furthermore, compared to inkjet or pneumatic syringe-based printing systems, xPrint has a large range of printable materials from synthesized polymers to natural micro-organism-living cells with a printing resolution from 10μm up to 5mm (droplet size). In this paper, we will introduce the system design in detail and three use cases to demonstrate the material variability and the customizability for users with different demands (e.g., designers, scientific researchers, or artists).

Printflatables: Printing Human-Scale, Functional and Dynamic Inflatable Objects

Printflatables is a design and fabrication system for human-scale, functional and dynamic inflatable objects. We use inextensible thermoplastic fabric as the raw material with the key principle of introducing folds and thermal sealing. Upon inflation, the sealed object takes the expected three dimensional shape. The workflow begins with the user specifying an intended 3D model which is decomposed to two dimensional fabrication geometry. This forms the input for a numerically controlled thermal contact iron that seals layers of thermoplastic fabric. In this paper, we discuss the system design in detail, the pneumatic primitives that this technique enables and merits of being able to make large, functional and dynamic pneumatic artifacts. We demonstrate the design output through multiple objects which could motivate fabrication of inflatable media and pressure-based interfaces.

Harnessing the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of genetically tractable microbial cells to design biohybrid wearables

We harnessed the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of microbial cells to design sweat-responsive biohybrid wearables. Cells’ biomechanical responses to external stimuli have been intensively studied but rarely implemented into devices that interact with the human body. We demonstrate that the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of living cells can be engineered to design biohybrid wearables, which give multifunctional responsiveness to human sweat. By depositing genetically tractable microbes on a humidity-inert material to form a heterogeneous multilayered structure, we obtained biohybrid films that can reversibly change shape and biofluorescence intensity within a few seconds in response to environmental humidity gradients. Experimental characterization and mechanical modeling of the film were performed to guide the design of a wearable running suit and a fluorescent shoe prototype with bio-flaps that dynamically modulates ventilation in synergy with the body’s need for cooling.

bioPrint: an automatic deposition system for bacteria spore actuators

We propose an automatic deposition method of bacteria spores, which deform thin soft materials under environmental humidity change. We describe the process of two-dimensional printing the spore solution as well as a design application. This research intends to contribute to the understanding of the control and pre-programming the transformation of future interfaces.

Integrating optical waveguides for display and sensing on pneumatic soft shape changing interfaces

We introduce the design and fabrication process of integrating optical fiber into pneumatically driven soft composite shape changing interfaces. Embedded optical waveguides can provide both sensing and illumination, and add one more building block to the design of designing soft pneumatic shape changing interfaces.

KinetiX - designing auxetic-inspired deformable material structures

Abstract This paper describes a group of auxetic-inspired material structures that can transform into various shapes upon compression. We developed four cellular-based material structure units composed of rigid plates and elastic/rotary hinges. Different compositions of these units lead to a variety of tunable shape-changing possibilities, such as uniform scaling, shearing, bending and rotating. By tessellating those transformations together, we can create various higher level transformations for product design. In the paper, we first give a geometrical and numerical description of the units’ configuration and their degrees of freedom. An interactive simulation tool is developed for users to input designed structures and preview the transformation. Finally we present three application prototypes that utilize our proposed structures.

Methods of 3D Printing Micro-pillar Structures on Surfaces

This work presents a method of 3D printing hair-like structures on both flat and curved surfaces. It allows a user to design and fabricate hair geometry that is smaller than 100 micron. We built a software platform to let one quickly define a hairs angle, thickness, density, and height. The ability to fabricate customized hair-like structures expands the library of 3D-printable shape. We then present several applications to show how the 3D-printed hair can be used for designing toy objects.