Early shape-display prototypes

Printed surface patterns

I began my PhD by exploring how a connected printed surface could deform into different shapes. In fall 2023, I designed and printed hexagonal, star-shaped, and square patterns, comparing how their geometry changed when stretched or pulled with strings.

Early printed star with cords running through its arms — A cord-actuated star prototype, October 31, 2023.

The goal was an expressive shape display: a surface that could produce spatially varied motion, including the reaching and curling behavior that first drew me to the problem.

Cable-actuated modules

I developed printed modules with cable routing, connection clips, and compact electronics, then explored how several modules could work together. The prototypes included a single module carrying its control boards and a connected 2×2 assembly.

Printed cable-actuated module with attached circuit boards — Single module with cable routing and electronics, December 2023.

Four connected printed modules on a red base — A 2×2 assembly documented in February 2024.

These builds made module connections and actuator packaging part of the surface-design problem. I kept looking for a simpler way to turn local changes into a useful overall shape.

Pin-configured Sarrus surfaces

With compliant Sarrus linkages, bringing a cell’s ends together expands it laterally. I used printed pins to retain selected cells in expanded configurations and explored how different spatial patterns reshaped the connected array.

A raised Sarrus array with selected cells held by red pins — A cross pattern of expanded cells raises the surface.

Close view of red retaining pins in a compliant Sarrus surface — Printed pins set the expansion of individual cells.

A rounded cellular dome with green retaining pins — A later pin-configured array, viewed from the surface side.

A reconfigured array of white linkages and green retaining components — A second view of the pin-supported array, March 2024.

Handling and reconfiguring the connected array, April 23, 2024.

I also built a 20×20 array in a fixed frame to explore shapes at a larger scale. The sequence below shows several physical configurations of that array.

20×20 surface configurationsA sequence of configured shapes from my July 2024 research presentation.

Syringe actuation and sensing

I next installed miniature syringes within a 5×5 array, developing printed holders and connections around the actuator. Driving groups of cells let me test center, cross, line, and edge patterns.

Two syringes integrated with printed compliant linkages — Individual syringe-driven linkage prototypes, May 2024.

Underside of the assembled syringe array with printed mounts and connections — The assembled array viewed from below, June 2024.

A single syringe-driven linkage under actuation, May 20, 2024.

Printed holders for a five-by-five syringe-actuated array — Printed actuator holders during assembly.

An assembled array of syringes in printed compliant linkages — The assembled syringe-actuated array.

Syringe-actuated surfaceA cross-pattern actuation demonstration from June 2024.

I also explored sensing at the cell level. This prototype combined syringe actuation with a strain-sensing element on the printed linkage, allowing me to observe the signal as the cell changed shape.

Actuation and sensing prototypeA single cell expanding and contracting beside its live signal readout.

This sequence of builds led to the next design decision: print the pneumatic actuator and compliant linkage together in one cell, then reuse that cell across different robot bodies.

Monolithic cells and reconfigurable robots ↗