AirLogic:Embedding Pneumatic Computation and I/O in 3D Models to Fabricate Electronics-Free Interactive Objects

Researchers have developed various tools and techniques towards the vision of on-demand fabrication of custom, interactive devices. Recentwork has 3D-printed artefacts like speakers, electromagnetic actuators, and hydraulic robots. However, these are non-trivial to instantiate as they require post-fabrication mechanical- or electronic assembly. We introduce AirLogic: a technique to create electronics-free, interactive objects by embedding pneumatic input, logic processing, and output widgets in 3D-printable models. AirLogic devices can perform basic computation on user inputs and create visible, audible, or haptic feedback; yet they do not require electronic circuits, physical assembly, or resetting between uses. Our library of 13 exemplar widgets can embed AirLogic-style computational capabilities in existing 3D models. We evaluate our widgets' performance-quantifying the loss of airfow (1) in each widget type, (2) based on printing orientation, and (3) from internal object geometry. Finally, we present fve applications that illustrate AirLogic's potential

PhysioSkin: Rapid Fabrication of Skin-Conformal Physiological Interfaces

Advances in rapid prototyping platforms have made physiological sensing accessible to a wide audience. However, off-the-shelf electrodes commonly used for capturing biosignals are typically thick, non-conformal and do not support customization. We present PhysioSkin, a rapid, do-it-yourself prototyping method for fabricating custom multi-modal physiological sensors, using commercial materials and a commodity desktop inkjet printer. It realizes ultrathin skin-conformal patches (~1μm) and interactive textiles that capture sEMG, EDA and ECG signals. It further supports fabricating devices with custom levels of thickness and stretchability. We present detailed fabrication explorations on multiple substrate materials, functional inks and skin adhesive materials. Informed from the literature, we also provide design recommendations for each of the modalities. Evaluation results show that the sensor patches achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio. Example applications demonstrate the functionality and versatility of our approach for prototyping a next generation of physiological devices that intimately couple with the human body

A Model-based Sensor Fusion Approach for Force and Shape Estimation in Soft Robotics

International audienceIn this paper, we address the challenge of sensor fusion in Soft Robotics for estimating forces and deformations. In the context of intrinsic sensing, we propose the use of a soft capacitive sensor to find a contact's location, and the use of pneumatic sensing to estimate the force intensity and the deformation. Using a FEM-based numerical approach, we integrate both sensing streams and model two Soft Robotics devices we have conceived. These devices are a Soft Pad and a Soft Finger. We show in an evaluation that external forces on the Soft Pad can be estimated and that the shape of the Soft Finger can be reconstructed

Behaaglijkheidsstudie Gemeentehuis Lanaken

Naam en titel van de externe promotor: Georges Kuijpers Naam en titel van de interne promotor: Andy Camps Titel van het eindwerk: Behaaglijkheidstudie Gemeentehuis Lanaken In het gemeentehuis van Lanaken zijn er een aantal klachten over behaaglijkheid. Het gebouw is gebouwd in 1969, in 2000 werd hier een nieuwbouw aangezet. Om een beeld te krijgen van de problemen werd aan de werknemers gevraagd om een enquête in te vullen. Hieruit blijkt dat er problemen zijn met zowel warmte als koude, luchtsnelheden en luchtkwaliteit. Aan de hand van documentatie werd onderzocht wat behaaglijkheid eigenlijk inhoudt. Hierna zijn berekeningen gemaakt van de transmissieverliezen en koellast (van de bestaande installatie). Eveneens is er een ventilatiesysteem gedimensioneerd met het oog op verbetering van de behaaglijkheid. Er werden ver ook metingen uitgevoerd van de temperatuur en de vochtigheid. Met deze gegevens zijn er oplossingen bedacht zoals een ventilatiesysteem of bevochtiging, beter isoleren, zonnewerend glas, zonneweringen en meer

JigFab: Computational Fabrication of Constraints to FacilitateWoodworking with Power Tools

status: accepte

Collaborative Tangible Gamification of Built Heritage for Young Museum Visitors

Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning, particularly for young visitors by allowing them to see the different museum collections and to hear their related stories. Gamification accordingly is an approach that museums follow in order to provide edutainment experience and to attract children. However, most of gamification techniques used in museums offer individual experiences (e.g. small touch screens or personalized applications). Nevertheless, museums recently began to design and deploy tangible user interfaces in order to physicalize the experience with museum objects, which is more collaborative, attract more visitors, and persuade them to explore further. This study aims to communicate tacit knowledge of Egyptian built heritage to young museum visitors by combining tangible interaction with gamification, making their experience more collaborative and engaging. Egyptian heritage is very rich in content, containing many aspects of tacit knowledge which is relatively challenging to communicate, such as architectural qualities, historical values and artistic features. We therefore introduce the approach of tangible gamification, we argue it has several objectives; (a) making museum experience more collaborative and enhances social interaction, (b) actively engaging young visitors by allowing them to physically explore museum collections, and (c) stimulating subtle learning experiences by communicating heritage information during interactions. We propose three different interaction setups for conducting our experimental study in a real museum environment on a scale 1:1 of an original ancient Egyptian tomb-chapel in order to investigate how this approach augments collaboration and social interaction among young visitors, and how this influences their cultural learning.status: publishe

CircuitGlue : A Software Configurable Converter for Interconnecting Multiple Heterogeneous Electronic Components

We present CircuitGlue, an electronic converter board that allows heterogeneous electronic components to be readily interconnected. Electronic components are plugged into an eight-pin programmable header on the board, and the assignment of each pin in the header is configured in software. CircuitGlue supports a variety of connections, including power, ground, analog signals, and various digital protocols at different voltages. As such, off-the-shelf electronic components and modules are instantly compatible no matter what voltage levels, interface types, communication protocols, and pinouts they use. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of CircuitGlue to ease and expedite prototyping with electronics and we explore new opportunities enabled by CircuitGlue. Finally, we reflect on the results of a preliminary user study evaluating the usability of CircuitGlue for people new to electronics