Prototyping Interactive Fluidic Mechanisms

Abstract

Figure 1: Design tool and UI for prototyping of interactive fluidic mechanisms. (a: example of a working prototype with folding input. b: The User Interface and design tool for modeling the fluidic mechanisms, implemented in grasshopper environment. c: The simulation of fluid flow and color according to input parameters in b.) In this hands-on studio we introduce a method of designing and prototyping fluidic mechanisms that utilize the flow as both deformation sensors and displays. A fabrication process and the featured materials will be provided to allow participants to design and prototype self-contained fluidic channels. These channels are designed to respond to mechanical inputs such as deformation and pressure with flow and color change. We will introduce a specialized software plugin for design and flow simulation that enables simple and rapid modelling with optimization of the fluidic mechanism. The goal of Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the owner/author(s).