Symbioses provide a way to surpass the limitations of
individual microbes. Natural communities ex... more Symbioses provide a way to surpass the limitations of individual microbes. Natural communities exemplify this in symbioses like lichens and biofilms that are robust to perturbations, an essential feature in fluctuating environments. Metabolic capabilities also expand in consortia enabling the division of labor across organisms as seen in photosynthetic and methanogenic communities. In engineered consortia, the external environment provides levers of control for microbes repurposed from nature or engineered to interact through synthetic biology. Consortia have successfully been applied to real-world problems including remediation and energy, however there are still fundamental questions to be answered. It is clear that continued study is necessary for the understanding and engineering of microbial systems that are more than the sum of their parts.
We present a fully functional material extrusion printer for optically transparent glass. The pri... more We present a fully functional material extrusion printer for optically transparent glass. The printer is composed of scalable modular elements able to operate at the high temperatures required to process glass from a molten state to an annealed product. We demonstrate a process enabling the construction of 3D parts as described by computer-aided design models. Processing parameters such as temperature, which control glass viscosity, and flow rate, layer height, and feed rate can thus be adjusted to tailor printing to the desired component, its shape, and its properties. We explored, defined, and hard-coded geometric constraints and coiling patterns as well as the integration of various colors into the current controllable process, contributing to a new design and manufacturing space. We report on performed characterization of the printed materials executed to determine their morphological, mechanical, and optical properties. Printed parts demonstrated strong adhesion between layers and satisfying optical clarity. This molten glass 3D printer demonstrates the production of parts that are highly repeatable, enable light transmission, and resemble the visual and mechanical performance of glass constructs that are conventionally obtained. Utilizing the optical nature of glass, complex caustic patterns were created by projecting light through the printed objects. The 3D-printed glass objects described here can thus be extended to implementations across scales and functional domains including product and architectural design. This research lies at the intersection of design, engineering, science, and art, representing a highly interdisciplinary approach.
International Journal of Architectural Computing, Feb 19, 2015
... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor mat... more ... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor math was ... Particularly vector and tensor math are introduced as foundation knowledge for the demonstration of the reconstructed tools that follow. ...
Additive prototyping technologies have become an efficient and common means to deliver geometrica... more Additive prototyping technologies have become an efficient and common means to deliver geometrically precise functional prototypes in relatively short periods of time. Most such technologies, however, remain limited to producing single-material, constant-property prototypes from a restricted range of materials. Inspired by Nature, where form is characterized by heterogeneous compositions, the paper presents a novel approach to layered manufacturing entitled variable
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2007
... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor mat... more ... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor math was ... Particularly vector and tensor math are introduced as foundation knowledge for the demonstration of the reconstructed tools that follow. ...
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2007
... regards to material selection.The physical experiments were executed in three groups, eachexp... more ... regards to material selection.The physical experiments were executed in three groups, eachexploring different aspects ... seek continuous solutions whereas component-based systems would promote a more discrete strategy with regards ... 43 Material-based Design Computation ...
The process of connecting genetic parts-DNA assembly-is a foundational technology for synthetic b... more The process of connecting genetic parts-DNA assembly-is a foundational technology for synthetic biology. Microfluidics present an attractive solution for minimizing use of costly reagents, enabling multiplexed reactions, and automating protocols by integrating multiple protocol steps. However, microfluidics fabrication and operation can be expensive and requires expertise, limiting access to the technology. With advances in commodity digital fabrication tools, it is now possible to directly print fluidic devices and supporting hardware. 3D printed micro- and millifluidic devices are inexpensive, easy to make and quick to produce. We demonstrate Golden Gate DNA assembly in 3D-printed fluidics with reaction volumes as small as 490 nL, channel widths as fine as 220 microns, and per unit part costs ranging from $0.61 to $5.71. A 3D-printed syringe pump with an accompanying programmable software interface was designed and fabricated to operate the devices. Quick turnaround and inexpensiv...
Although thermoplastic materials are mostly derived from petro-chemicals, it would be highly desi... more Although thermoplastic materials are mostly derived from petro-chemicals, it would be highly desirable, from a sustainability perspective, to produce them instead from renewable biopolymers. Unfortunately, biopolymers exhibiting thermoplastic behaviour and which preserve their mechanical properties post processing are essentially non-existent. The robust sucker ring teeth (SRT) from squid and cuttlefish are one notable exception of thermoplastic biopolymers. Here we describe thermoplastic processing of squid SRT via hot extrusion of fibres, demonstrating the potential suitability of these materials for large-scale thermal forming. Using high-resolution in situ X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy, we elucidate the molecular and nanoscale features responsible for this behaviour and show that SRT consist of semi-crystalline polymers, whereby heat-resistant, nanocrystalline β-sheets embedded within an amorphous matrix are organized into a hexagonally packed nanofibrillar latt...
Symbioses provide a way to surpass the limitations of
individual microbes. Natural communities ex... more Symbioses provide a way to surpass the limitations of individual microbes. Natural communities exemplify this in symbioses like lichens and biofilms that are robust to perturbations, an essential feature in fluctuating environments. Metabolic capabilities also expand in consortia enabling the division of labor across organisms as seen in photosynthetic and methanogenic communities. In engineered consortia, the external environment provides levers of control for microbes repurposed from nature or engineered to interact through synthetic biology. Consortia have successfully been applied to real-world problems including remediation and energy, however there are still fundamental questions to be answered. It is clear that continued study is necessary for the understanding and engineering of microbial systems that are more than the sum of their parts.
We present a fully functional material extrusion printer for optically transparent glass. The pri... more We present a fully functional material extrusion printer for optically transparent glass. The printer is composed of scalable modular elements able to operate at the high temperatures required to process glass from a molten state to an annealed product. We demonstrate a process enabling the construction of 3D parts as described by computer-aided design models. Processing parameters such as temperature, which control glass viscosity, and flow rate, layer height, and feed rate can thus be adjusted to tailor printing to the desired component, its shape, and its properties. We explored, defined, and hard-coded geometric constraints and coiling patterns as well as the integration of various colors into the current controllable process, contributing to a new design and manufacturing space. We report on performed characterization of the printed materials executed to determine their morphological, mechanical, and optical properties. Printed parts demonstrated strong adhesion between layers and satisfying optical clarity. This molten glass 3D printer demonstrates the production of parts that are highly repeatable, enable light transmission, and resemble the visual and mechanical performance of glass constructs that are conventionally obtained. Utilizing the optical nature of glass, complex caustic patterns were created by projecting light through the printed objects. The 3D-printed glass objects described here can thus be extended to implementations across scales and functional domains including product and architectural design. This research lies at the intersection of design, engineering, science, and art, representing a highly interdisciplinary approach.
International Journal of Architectural Computing, Feb 19, 2015
... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor mat... more ... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor math was ... Particularly vector and tensor math are introduced as foundation knowledge for the demonstration of the reconstructed tools that follow. ...
Additive prototyping technologies have become an efficient and common means to deliver geometrica... more Additive prototyping technologies have become an efficient and common means to deliver geometrically precise functional prototypes in relatively short periods of time. Most such technologies, however, remain limited to producing single-material, constant-property prototypes from a restricted range of materials. Inspired by Nature, where form is characterized by heterogeneous compositions, the paper presents a novel approach to layered manufacturing entitled variable
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2007
... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor mat... more ... performance-informed form generation by means of computational geometry.Vector and tensor math was ... Particularly vector and tensor math are introduced as foundation knowledge for the demonstration of the reconstructed tools that follow. ...
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2007
... regards to material selection.The physical experiments were executed in three groups, eachexp... more ... regards to material selection.The physical experiments were executed in three groups, eachexploring different aspects ... seek continuous solutions whereas component-based systems would promote a more discrete strategy with regards ... 43 Material-based Design Computation ...
The process of connecting genetic parts-DNA assembly-is a foundational technology for synthetic b... more The process of connecting genetic parts-DNA assembly-is a foundational technology for synthetic biology. Microfluidics present an attractive solution for minimizing use of costly reagents, enabling multiplexed reactions, and automating protocols by integrating multiple protocol steps. However, microfluidics fabrication and operation can be expensive and requires expertise, limiting access to the technology. With advances in commodity digital fabrication tools, it is now possible to directly print fluidic devices and supporting hardware. 3D printed micro- and millifluidic devices are inexpensive, easy to make and quick to produce. We demonstrate Golden Gate DNA assembly in 3D-printed fluidics with reaction volumes as small as 490 nL, channel widths as fine as 220 microns, and per unit part costs ranging from $0.61 to $5.71. A 3D-printed syringe pump with an accompanying programmable software interface was designed and fabricated to operate the devices. Quick turnaround and inexpensiv...
Although thermoplastic materials are mostly derived from petro-chemicals, it would be highly desi... more Although thermoplastic materials are mostly derived from petro-chemicals, it would be highly desirable, from a sustainability perspective, to produce them instead from renewable biopolymers. Unfortunately, biopolymers exhibiting thermoplastic behaviour and which preserve their mechanical properties post processing are essentially non-existent. The robust sucker ring teeth (SRT) from squid and cuttlefish are one notable exception of thermoplastic biopolymers. Here we describe thermoplastic processing of squid SRT via hot extrusion of fibres, demonstrating the potential suitability of these materials for large-scale thermal forming. Using high-resolution in situ X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy, we elucidate the molecular and nanoscale features responsible for this behaviour and show that SRT consist of semi-crystalline polymers, whereby heat-resistant, nanocrystalline β-sheets embedded within an amorphous matrix are organized into a hexagonally packed nanofibrillar latt...
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Papers by Neri Oxman
individual microbes. Natural communities exemplify this in
symbioses like lichens and biofilms that are robust to
perturbations, an essential feature in fluctuating environments.
Metabolic capabilities also expand in consortia enabling the
division of labor across organisms as seen in photosynthetic
and methanogenic communities. In engineered consortia, the
external environment provides levers of control for microbes
repurposed from nature or engineered to interact through
synthetic biology. Consortia have successfully been applied to
real-world problems including remediation and energy,
however there are still fundamental questions to be answered.
It is clear that continued study is necessary for the
understanding and engineering of microbial systems that are
more than the sum of their parts.
individual microbes. Natural communities exemplify this in
symbioses like lichens and biofilms that are robust to
perturbations, an essential feature in fluctuating environments.
Metabolic capabilities also expand in consortia enabling the
division of labor across organisms as seen in photosynthetic
and methanogenic communities. In engineered consortia, the
external environment provides levers of control for microbes
repurposed from nature or engineered to interact through
synthetic biology. Consortia have successfully been applied to
real-world problems including remediation and energy,
however there are still fundamental questions to be answered.
It is clear that continued study is necessary for the
understanding and engineering of microbial systems that are
more than the sum of their parts.