Kelly Zona      Fab Academy 2014

Applications & Implications

What will it do?



Mechanical operation of the system

 

 

What materials and components will be required? Where will they come from? How much will it cost? 

Miscellaneous hardware- McMaster-Carr
Acrylic sheet- white and clear- Pioneer Supply or McMaster Carr
Resin/metal cast pins- Smooth On (resin), Alpha Chemicals (iron oxide)
Microcontroller board- Arduino (main board) 
Stepper driver electronics- DigiKey
3D printed items- actuator, stepper mounts, bobbins- in house
Stepper driver boards- in house
Motors- in house

Who's done what beforehand? 

der Kritzler
Drawbot
Wallrus 
Hektor
Polargraph
Hills We Climb
Research
Technorama Facade
Responsive Awning, MIT Kinetic Design Group
Flare Facade
Institut du Monde Arabe
Hyposurface


What parts and systems will be made? 

Multi-Layer Screen
Resin/metal Cast Pegs
Aluminum Frame
Stepper Motor Drivers
Motor Mounts
Bobbins
Actuator Mechanism


What processes will be used? 

Laser-cutting
Molding and casting
CNC milling (PCB fabrication)
3D Printing
Vinyl Cutting


What tasks need to be completed? 

Cut and assemble the screen
Finish casting the pins
Work on electronics application
Refine stepper motor code


What questions need to be answered? 

How can I get the motors to run in unison?
How can I maximize the contrast between light and dark (open and closed) pegs?


What is the schedule? 

Already completed- actuator mechanism
May 14th- complete the screen
May 17th- complete the frame
May 21st- complete the electronics and coding
May 28th- complete all of the pins
June 4th- complete miscellaneous outstanding tasks


How will it be evaluated?

Artistic merit and practicality should be given equal weight in the evaluation process; it would be unfair to separate one from the other.  It is my hope that this project sparks conversation for new ways to incorporate robotics in architecture.