RESEARCH OVERVIEW
Welcome to the Programmable Matter Lab at the University of Washington. From in-space manufacturing to personal fabrication, a need for artefact diversity at low volumes challenges the typical efficiencies of centralized mass manufacturing. To address this problem, we develop computational design and fabrication platforms for use at points-of-need. We use these tools to assemble structures in space, autonomously fabricate robots, and digitally program materials for self-assembly.
MULTIPROCESS MANUFACTURING
Building functional devices, such as robots, is today a manual and difficult process, requiring a number of disparate manufacturing processes - from 3D printing to PCB assembly. To combat this, we are hybridizing manufacturing techniques to create new multi-process fabrication machines that can automate the production of customized structures, robots, and other electromechanical devices.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
Designing physical artefacts typically requires domain knowledge across electronics, mechanical engineering and manufacturing. We’re developing new software tools that empower end users, from laypeople to small-scale manufacturers, to design complex systems that can be readily made in the real world.
PROGRAMMABLE SELF-ASSEMBLY
Today’s manufacturing and assembly strategies don’t typically leverage materials themselves to support the assembly and reconfigurability of the artefacts they produce. We’re exploring how to program materials - from magnetic surfaces to DNA - to encode assembly from the bottom up.