In Amsterdam I had the pleasure of not only meeting the world famous cellist Frances Marie Uitti, but to also make a custom cello playing version of the Layer Chair for her. After a performance in the Theatrum Anatomicum, she fell in love with the parametric chair design that I have developed. And once Alex Schaub told her that it is possible to adjust the profile and size of the chair anyway you like, we had no choice but to make one for her. Continue Reading →
Now that Alex had some fancy new black chairs in his lab, he realized that he wanted a table to go with the chairs. So, I designed a parametric table that matches the shape language of the Layer Chair. The design lets you specify the measurement of any plate you would like to use as a table top. The output of the Grasshopper definition is a table frame that fits your plate of leftover material.
Alex Schaub (FabLab manager Amsterdam) liked the Layer Chair I made in the HONFablab Indonesia so much that we decided to make a few for his lab as well. We used one sheet of 18mm black MDF per chair. Colored MDF is a very intersting material for making large objects on the ShopBot. We are currently investigating different finishing processes like lacquering and waxing so that the chair will be spill proof.
To test the new possibilities of the Kinect in combination with Grasshopper, I made a parametric Christmas Tree definition. It enables you to design a Christmas Tree with your own body. The Kinect sensor reads the position of your head, hands and feet in realtime and grasshopper translates the data into a beautiful tree. Use a lasercutter or CNC milling machine to cut out your tree in any size. Sliders enables you to specify material thickness and to adjust the size of the final tree.
Download the design to test for yourself. More interfaces for parametric design coming soon.
I made the layer chair as an example of how to work with large organic surfaces on the shopbot. It was also a good excuse to make something a bit more refined and comfortable for the interior of the HONFablab. It is parametric design made in Grashopper, which makes it very easy to adjust the sitting profile, width, height, material thickness and so on. The Grasshopper definition uses two input curves. One for the midprofile of the seat, and one for the sideprofile. The definition outputs cutting lines, alignment holes and “trim lines” for making the inside of the seating more organic. In a way it is 2.5D process with manual control of the steps used to create the 3D surface.
The Ass Stool features four different seats for any sized ass. The perfect tool for lighting up the atmosphere with an inappropriate joke. It is even extra comfortable thanks to the seat following the contours of your behind.
The stool is open source and published under a Creative Commons non-commercial share-a-like license. It is a collaboration between Jens Dyvik and Alex Schaub (manager of FabLab Amsterdam).
Gisli, Deanna, Alex and I made a last minute contribution to the food cart competition in Lima, Peru. Apparently our design was a favourite among the MIT guru part of the jury, but the local street chefs did not appreciate the Icelandic dried fish and seaweed we served, but we made 3rd place anyway. We had great fun frying seaweed and serving Pisco, a local spirit. Open source blueprints coming soon. Continue Reading →
When you squeeze the gorillas hand, he responds by shaking hands with you. The Handshake Gorilla is a design for beginner level Arduino workshops. FabLab Manchester asked me to give a workshop on making interactive products with Arduino, so I thought it would be nice with a playful design.
The design features a simple touch sensor, a servo powered arm and a gorilla puppet. The gorilla can be cut out by hand or with a laser cutter. The design is suitable for expanding with more advanced sensors and new animal shapes.
Local jewellery designer JóLe Hönnun creates head- and wristworn pieces from fish and cow leather. Her products are beautiful, but she currently ships her products in taped shoe boxes cut in half. She came to the FabLab to ask if we could help her develop a packaging that would display her products and protect them during shipping. I tried to create a solution that is simple, yet has a look fitting the unique charm of the fish leather jewellery.
The GreenCube has entered its 3rd season with the planting of rocket and carrot seeds. I fertilezed the ground with worm compost and bokashi. The GreenCube is morphing into a worm farm, providing worms for the growth boxes of the Natuursupermarkt.