What?

Print-and-Play Fabrication is the title of my PhD thesis, which I defended on October ‘21. I define Print-and-Play fabrication as a digital fabrication paradigm where interactive devices are printed using digital fabrication equipment instead of manually assembled. This document contains a series of techniques that exemplify the principles of Print-and-Play, as well as guidelines for future researchers on how to extend this work further.

Why?

Although there are numerous books on how 3D printers were going to make manufacturing obsolete, but in the years since their publication we have yet to see that happen. In my thesis I propose that this is due to two main issues: current digital fabrication machines can only produce static three-dimensional shapes, and; in order to produce something more advanced using digital fabrication equipment, the maker must have significant previous knowledge and experience. Print-and-Play Fabrication addresses these issues head on by proposing a digital fabrication pipeline that uses off-the-shelf printers and material to construct interactive devices, while also requiring no maker intervention in the process.

How?

In my thesis I present four distinct techniques, each aimed to ease the construction of the devices that can sense (AirTouch, and Blowhole), process, and provide output to (MorpheesPlug) users interactions. These techniques help non-expert makers and designers construct devices using off-the-shelf 3D printers and virtually no manual assembly of physical parts or electronics. For more details on how these techniques work, please refer to their individual project pages, or take a look at my dissertation.