SYNTHETIC LANDSCAPES WORKSHOP

BILLERICA, MA | OBJET HEADQUARTERS | SYNTHETIC LANDSCAPES WORKSHOP | FEB 29-MAR 1, 2012

This intensive two-day workshop at the Objet Headquarters in Billerica, MA will provide workshop participants the opportunity to work with a team of expert consultants, to hone their digital and prototyping skills, to experiment with a range of digital production tools, and to design and fabricate a unique set of components that negotiate a range of material gradients across a field condition. Through iteration, participants will generate and fabricate components (parts) to form a larger network (whole). The goal of this workshop is to combine technological precision (Objet – Connex) and pedagogical creativity (curriculum) to explicate the creative potentials of both the various forms of software and materials-based investigations that could be replicated in curriculum.

The results of the workshop will be showcased at the Boston Park Plaza, formally presented during a Special Focus Session on Friday, 02 March during the 100th ACSA Annual Meeting, and be part of a traveling exhibition that will circulate North America in 2012.

Consultants:

*Gregory Luhan (ACSA/ACADIA organizer)
ACADIA: *Gil Akos, *Kyle Miller, *Ronnie Parsons, *Andy Payne

* Designates Workshop Leaders

ACADIA @ Digital Appitudes | Synthetic Landscapes

Special Focus Session to discuss pedagogical implications of the workshop. Panelists include team leaders, workshop attendees, and Piet Meijs.

Using the Digital Aptitudes workshop hosted by Objet as a critical point of departure, this moderated session will focus on linking the pedagogical to the technological. Short presentations by panelists Kyle Miller, Andy Payne, Gil Akos, Ronnie Parsons, Piet Meijs, and Gregory Luhan will frame the conceptual underpinnings of workshop as part of an embedded, participatory, and replicable art-to-part curriculum developed with Neri Oxman. The presenter’s own research into areas including flexible form manufacturing, site malleable construction, building performance, and blended materials research will align the concept-to-completion workshop outcomes as logical extensions of an otherwise technologically-driven and application-based synthetic ecology.

For more information about this workshop and Registration information visit:

• http://www.acsa-arch.org/programs-events/conferences/annual-meeting/100th-annual-meeting/pre-conference

5-AXIS ROBOTIC MOTION CONTROLLER

I'm excited to release more information about a paper I wrote titled A Five Axis Robotic Motion Controller for Designers which was selected for publication and presentation for this year's ACADIA 2011 Conference: Integration Through Computation held in Banff, Canada from October 13th-16th. Click here to download the full paper.

This project aims to bring physical input and output closer together through the design purpose-built tools for fabrication, which hopefully leads to many new creative opportunities for designers.  Working from observations about the way architects design, this project explores the development of a novel 3D drawing tool or customized 5-axis digitizing arm that takes real-time input and translates movement patterns directly into machine code for robotic fabrication.  An improved workflow for robotic simulation was also developed as part of this project; using design tools that are already familiar to architects and designers, such as Rhino and Grasshopper. The purpose of this project was not to suggest that this new workflow is a ready-made solution to replace the existing robotic fabrication process; rather I hope that this work is seen as a proof of concept that could enable wider use of digital fabrication tools by architects and designers.

The existing design-to-fabrication workflow for industrial robots (seen above) has traditionally been a slow and cumber-some process, especially for designers. Machine tooling, kinematic simulations, and robotic movement programming often require intimate knowledge of scripting and manufacturing processes, all of which limit the utilization of such tools by the 'typical' architect/designer.  

In the traditional robotic fabrication workflow, there is often a discrepancy between the original design intent and the final output, primarily because there is an intermediate step where the designer has to hand off a digital model to a fabrication consultant who has more intimate knowledge of the specific robotic CAM software and the fabrication process in general. Typically, this consultant will use programs such as Robot Studio or Master CAM to create the necessary tool paths for the design, however this process can often take a great deal of time.  And, if during this process, modeling irregularities are found or fabrication problems arise due to reachability or collision detection issues, then the entire process must start anew.

 Conceptually, this project started very simply.  I began by looking at the joint and axis configurations of the ABB-IRB 140 robot, one of the six axis robots available in the Harvard robotics lab.  The design challenge then, was to design a tangible controller around these constraints.  By using the same joint and axis configurations, the digitizing arm has a one to one relationship with the larger industrial robot.  It is very intuitive.  A user immediately grasps the idea that when they move the digitizing arm in a certain way, the robot will respond in kind.

Outside of the development of a new robotic workflow, one of the primary goals of the project was to minimize costs.  Given that all of the parts for this project were paid for out of pocket (a student's pocket), creating a low-cost solution was of utmost importance.  But, beyond my own personal economic restrictions, I wanted this project to be seen as a do-it-yourself solution - something that could be built in any garage or workbench using easily purchased hardware parts and sensors and a few custom fabricated pieces.  The entire controller, shown here, was built for less than $200 dollars. The aluminum body was water jet cut and all of the hardware were pieces that could purchased from local hardware stores or online retailers. All of the sensors, including the five high-precision potentiometers (shown here as the small blue knobs sticking off of the aluminum body) and the two digital sensors on the tool tip were also purchased from online retailers and were chosen because of their affordability.

To create a real-time robotic simulation, data from each of the embedded sensors on the tangible controller are streamed into the computer using a plug-in for Grasshopper that I have also been developing called Firefly.  Among other things, Firefly enables the use of real-world data, acquired from various types of sensors or other input devices to explicitly define parametric relationships within a Grasshopper model.  In this project, sensor information is used to create a forward kinematic robotic simulation. Forward kinematics describes one type of solution for determining robotic positioning.  If given all of the relative angles of each joint and the lengths of each leg; the tool tip (also known as the end effector) can be found by performing a series of matrix transformations on each body in the robotic mechanism.  In this case, each of the potentiometers will return a 10-bit number between 0 and 1023.  These particular potentiometers were able to rotate up to 340º, so the angle between each joint can be found by simply multiplying the current sensor value by the sensor step size.  These angle values are used to perform a matrix transformation on each of the robotic legs, ultimately giving you the precise position of  the tool center point.  And, once you know the location of the end effector, you can record this data over time to create real-time robotic tool paths.

In addition to the five high-precision potentiometers, the digitizing arm is equipped with a tool tip circuit board with two push button controls.  These allow the user to easily record or reset the digitized information on the fly.  I also designed and built a customized circuit board (on the left) which processes all of the sensor information and sends a formatted string of information over the serial port to the virtual parametric interface.

 The Grasshopper definition is relatively straight forward.  The Firefly Read component parses of the sensor information being sent directly from the microcontroller circuit board.  There is a custom component written in VB.NET (seen in item number 2),  which creates the necessary tool data.  The data from both of these components are fed into another custom component which calculates the forward kinematic solution and outputs the position of each leg, creating a real-time preview of the robot moving in the Rhino viewport.  In addition, the robotic simulator also returns all of the RAPID code, or the robotic programming language used by all of the ABB robots, to move the actual robot in the same manner as the forward kinematic preview.

The custom robotic simulation component written inside of Grasshopper outputs all of the necessary RAPID code to control the actual robot.  There are two methods by which this can be done.  First, all of the digitizing information is recorded and formatted into a composite data type called a robtarget.  Each robtarget is defined by its name, absolute position as XYZ coordinates, rotation and orientation of the robot as four quaternion values, and its joint configurations.  Each robtarget is given a unique identification each time the solution is recomputed.  Then the movement commands are created to tell the robot specifically how to get to each robtarget.  Once the program has been written, it can then be saved to a file on disk and uploaded to the robotic controller to be played back.  An alternative method is to stream the angle information from the digitizing arm directly to the robot through a network cable.  In this method, a program is uploaded to the robot which tells it to sit and wait for any information being sent directly from the Grasshopper definition (which can be seen in the video above).

As of today, there have only been a limited number of test runs using the five-axis robotic controller, however, the initial tests suggest that the proposed direct-to-fabrication process could prove to be a viable alternative to existing robotic workflows.  One of the first tests I tried was attaching a custom designed pen tool to the robot to see if the drawing movements of the digitizing arm would match those of the robot.  And while spelling your name isn't the most exciting demo, it did show some of the potential available with this process.  Because virtually any end effector can be attached to the end of the robot, the design opportunities are endless.  And because the tangible controller has a one-to-one relationship with the larger industrial robot, designers immediately understand that their drawing motions will be converted directly into robotic movements, creating a very intuitive interface.

Although there has been considerable progress made in the digital tools used to control robots, I'd like to close by reiterating the fact that there is an identifiable problem in the existing design-to-fabrication process. I would like to propose an improved workflow for robotic fabrication.  It is the hope of this project that the physical articulation of embodied input and output through purpose-built tools for fabrication can allow for wider adoption by and new creative opportunities for architects and designers.  In turn, I hope this will help re-establish the relationship between designers and the physical fabrication process.

Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank Harvard professors Martin Bechthold and Pangiotis Michalotos as well as Neil Gershenfeld from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms for their support during the development of this project.

FIREFLY & KINECT

Like many people, I've been anxiously awaiting the official release of the Microsoft SDK for the Kinect.  Now, that its officially out, I spent some time over the last two weeks working on a set of Kinect related components that I hope to include in the next release of Firefly (1.007).  The first component I tried to implement was the Skeleton Tracker... and I have to admit that the result are quite promising.  It's surprisingly fast and as long as you stay within the specified range of the sensor, the results are quite good.  Using this component I put together two very quick demo videos.

There has been a big push over the last decade to develop novel 3D technology for multimedia displays (whether its new ways for stereoscopic projection, refractive lens, etc.) One of the most successful implementations and inventive (in my opinion) was Johnny Chung Lee's reverse engineering of the Wii sensor bar.  Another recent example (and equally impressive) is this hack using the Kinect sensor and head tracking. 

The video above is my first attempt to create a real-time 3D display system within Grasshopper using Firefly's newSkeleton Tracker component and some simple camera manipulation. The Skeleton Tracker component outputs a list of points (click here for further explanation).  From there, I simply use the Horster Camera Control component (another 3rd party plugin for Grasshopper) to position the camera at the viewers head and the camera target at a point in space locating the Kinect sensor.  It really is that easy.  Turn on some real-time shadows and you've got a real-time 3D display.  It still needs some tweaking but it's pretty fun to play with. 

This next demo shows how easy it is to turn gestural movements into physical actuation using an Arduino.  The setup is very simple.  My z-value of my right hand (basically the height of my hand) controls the brightness value (or Pulse Width Modulation - PWM) of the LED.  My left hand controls the servo.  When my hand is by my side, the servo goes to position 0 and if I raise my hand above my head the servo moves to position 180.  So simple.  Of course, this could be expanded to control all sorts of things... perhaps that is next. 

FIREFLY NEW FEATURES

I was extremely excited to announce the official release of Firefly version 1.006 earlier this week.  For those who aren't familiar with Firefly, allow me to provide a short introduction.  Firefly is a set of software tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet and beyond. It allows real-time data flow between the digital and physical worlds and will read/write data to/from internet feeds, remote sensors and actuators, mobile phone devices, the Kinect, and more.  There are a lot of new components in this release (including the Arduino Code Generator, Upload to I/O Board, UDP and OSC Listeners and Transmitters, XML Search, and State Detection) that I thought it would be a good idea to put together a few videos showing some of the latest features.  So without further ado...

This first video shows the potential of the new Arduino Code Generator and the Upload to I/O Board components.  In my opinion, one of the greatest limitations of the previous versions of Firefly was that your Arduino board always had to be tethered to your computer via the USB cable.  This was because Firefly communicates back and forth to Grasshopper through serial communication.  However, sometimes you just want to use Grasshopper (and its visual programming interface) to prototype your design and then unplug it from your computer to run off external power.  Now, you can! 

The Arduino Code Generator attempts to convert any Grasshopper definition into Arduino compatible code (C++) on the fly.  It works by detecting components that are 'upstream' from the Uno/Mega Write component.  The Code Generator checks the component ID against a library of custom C++ functions which then get added to the code if there is a match. The code can be simultaneously saved as a .pde (Arduino Sketch) file to be opened in the Arduino IDE.

In addition, there is also a new Upload to I/O Board component which allows you to upload any sketch (could be from the Code Generator or any other sketch) directly to your Arduino board from within the Grasshopper environment. A lot of stuff happens behind the scenes with this component.  Essentially it creates a dynamic MakeFile and calls a shell application to convert the .pde file into a .cpp (C++) file and then into .hex code (machine readable code) to be uploaded to the microcontroller. Note: WinAVR is required to be installed on your machine in order to properly upload sketches to your board.  You can download the latest version here. 

There are also a lot of great network tools included in this release, including the UDP and OSC Listener and Transmittercomponents.  OSC (Open Sound Control) messages are essentially specially formatted UDP messages which can be particularly handy when you want to send some sort of information across a network (either wirelessly or LAN).  OSC messages are particularly useful because each message contains some metadata and a value, giving you more information about what type of data the message contains.  These new components open up a whole new world of possibilities by allowing you to send/receive data from smart phones (iphone or android) or by sharing documents among friends or colleagues over a network.

The video above uses the BreathOSC application (free from the iphone app store) developed by Thomas Edwards to simulate wind effects in Grasshopper.  Simply breathe into the microphone and an OSC message is sent to a specified IP address on a UDP port.  I then simply use the OSC Listener to decode the message and uses its value to create a wind vector to drive the Kangaroo (another 3rd party plugin for Grasshopper) wind simulation.  Daniel Piker, the developer of Kangaroo, helped setup this demo... and I have to say... it's quite fun. 

Another useful networking application for smart phones is TouchOSC (available for both iphone and android).  It supports sending and receiving Open Sound Control messages over a Wi-Fi network using the UDP protocol.  You can also create your own interfaces using the TouchOSC Editor and sync them directly to your phone. In this example, I've created a simple layout to control a few LED's, a tri-color LED, and a standard servo using the new OSC Listener in Firefly.  This is just a simple test, but the sky is the limit with this type of control over mobile phone interface design.

If you are interested in learning more about Firefly, check out our website at: http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/

The website has a lot of good tutorials and examples to get you up and running in no time.  As always, if you have a suggestion or want to send us a comment, you can reach us at info@fireflyexperiments.com

Acknowledgements:

It is without a doubt that this release would not have been possible without the tremendous support from Prof. Panagiotis Michalatos at Harvard's GSD.  His guidance over the last 6 months strongly influenced the development of the Firefly_X toolset and I owe him a great debt of gratitude for his assistance.  Firefly is built upon the Grasshopper plug-in for Rhino, both developed by Robert McNeel and Associates.  The Arduino language syntax is based on Wiring by Hernando Barragan. The Arduino environment is based on Processing byBen Fry and Casey Reas, and is now supported by an amazing team of software and hardware developers that continue to refine and expand its capabilities.

PROJECTION ONE

Projection One is an interactive art installation that was recently unveiled at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.  Conceived and built by Andrew Payne and fellow GSD student, Eddy Man Kim, Projection One strives to challenge the way in which users perceive projection art.  We started by changing the projection surface.  Our idea was simple - take the traditional screen and cut it up into strips of variable widths.  Then rotate those strips to create a three dimensional surface; adding depth to create a more volumetric or spatial experience out of the projection schemes.  The overall surface measured approximately 13'(length) x 9'(height) x 3'(depth).

 Adding depth to a projection surface only works if the material characteristics of the screen is transparent enough to allow for the light from the projector to pass through.  We spent a good deal of time investigating various types of fabrics, and even string; but ultimately found that Tulle provided just the right amount of transparency and material density.  Tulle is lightweight net-like fabric traditionally used in wedding veils and other ornamental garments.

Acknowledgements

First, we would like to thank Professor Panagiotis Michalatos.  It is without a doubt that this project would not have been realized without his tremendous help and support.  All of the visualizations were developed as scripts written in C# and used several of the sawapan motion and audio libraries.

Contact Us

Like what you see or want to know more about how to bring this installation to a city near you?  Contact us.  

andy@liftarchitects.com
eddy.mankim@gmail.com

COLAB WORKSHOP

I am very excited to announce that I will be working with Studio Mode in their next coLab workshop series: Hybrid Prototypes. Hybrid Prototypes is a two-day intensive design and prototyping workshop (with an optional third day) to be held in New York City during the weekend of January 08.

Description:
As architects and designers, we make things and build objects that interact with other objects, people, and networks. We strive for faster and simpler methods to build prototypes in the cheapest possible way, yet we are frequently hindered by temporal and practical factors that arise in the process of bringing our ideas to life. Firefly is the new paradigm for hybrid prototyping, offering a comprehensive set of software tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino) and the Arduino micro-controller. It allows near real-time data flow between the digital and physical worlds – enabling the possibility to explore virtual and physical prototypes with unprecedented fluidity.

This fast-paced workshop will focus on hardware and software prototyping techniques. Using remote sensors, microcontrollers (Arduino), and actuators, we will build virtual and physical prototypes that can communicate with humans and the world around them. Through a series of focused exercises and design tasks, each attendee will make prototypes that are configurable, sensate, and active. An optional third workshop day is offered to those participants desiring further time to develop individual projects or lines of research. As part of a larger online infrastructure, modeLab, this workshop provides participants with continued support and knowledge to draw upon for future learning.

Attendance will be limited to provide each participant maximum dedicated time with instructors. Participants are encouraged to be familiar with the basic concepts of parametric design and interfaces of Grasshopper and Arduino.

Hybrid Prototypes was conceived through a collaboration between Studio Mode/modeLab and Andrew Payne/LIFT Architects/Grasshopper Primer/ Firefly.

 Instructors: 
Andrew Payne | Principal, LIFT Architects | Co-Author, Grasshopper Primer | Co-Author, Firefly.
Ronnie Parsons + Gil Akos | Partners, Studio Mode.

Details:
All experience levels are welcome. Participants are encouraged to be familiar with the basic concepts of parametric design and interfaces of Grasshopper and Arduino.
Registration Pricing (limited enrollment) : $550/$650.
Workshop Location : modeLab | NYC.
Workshop Hours : 10AM-6PM.
Examples of Previous Workshops.

Infrastructure:
coLab Workbook | Printed + PDF Documentation
coLab Primers | Annotated Primer GHX Files
coLab Exercises | Annotated Exercise GHX Files
modeLab Fabrication Equipment | CNC High Force Cutter

Topics: 
Arduino Micro-controller Hardware
Arduino Control Logic
Firefly Components
Parametric Design Logics
Basic Circuitry
Sensors + Actuators

Dates:
2010.December.03 | Workshop Announced + Registration Opens.
2011.January.08 | Workshop Begins.
2011.January.10 | Optional Workshop Session.

To register for the workshop, please follow this link.