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DTSTAMP:20260424T220818Z
UID:1756728000@ist.ac.at
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DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Manas Bhargava\nhosted by Lisa Bugnet\nAbstract: Compl
 ex 3D shapes can be created by morphing flat 2D configurations. Such defor
 mations either preserve the intrinsic material geometry (e.g.\, folding pa
 per) or modify it through localized contraction. Once transformed\, the 3
 D shape can be further controlled to achieve a target functionality. A ke
 y challenge is to take the material specifications and the actuation proce
 ss as input to automatically design the target 3D shape and its functional
 ity. This thesis presents two novel computational pipelines for the desig
 n and control of shape-morphing structures used to create functional proto
 types. The first pipeline borrows from the art of origami to fold paper i
 nto intricate shapes and applies this principle to make 3D lighting displa
 ys. We introduce PCBend\, a computational design approach that covers a su
 rface with individually addressable RGB LEDs\, effectively forming a low-r
 esolution surface by folding rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs). We optim
 ize cut patterns on PCBs to act as hinges and co-design LED placement\, ci
 rcuit routing\, and fabrication constraints to produce PCB blueprints. The
  PCBs are fabricated using automated standard manufacturing services with 
 LEDs embedded on them. Finally\, the fabricated PCBs are cut along the con
 tour and folded onto a 3D-printed support. The 3D lighting display is then
  controlled to display complex surface light patterns.Creating 3D shapes t
 hrough folding is only possible if their planar configuration\, called "un
 folding" exists without any distortion or overlap. Existing methods often 
 permit distortion or require multiple patches\, which are unsuitable for f
 abrication pipelines that rely on folding non-stretchable materials. We re
 inforce such fabrication pipelines by providing a geometric relaxation to 
 the problem\, where the input shape is modified to admit overlap-free unfo
 lding.The second fabrication pipeline extends shape morphing to soft robot
 ics by emulating nature's blueprint of distributed actuation. Inspired by
  vertebrates\, we build musculoskeletal robots using modular active actuat
 ors\, employing Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) as shrinkable artificial 
 muscles integrated with 3D-printed bones. The chemical composition of LCE
 s is altered to enable untethered actuation through infrared radiation\, a
 llowing active control of individual muscles and their corresponding bones
 . The combined motion of individual bones defines the robot's overall shap
 e and functionality.  Our proposed system significantly expands both the
  design and control spaces of soft robots\, which we harness using our com
 putational design tools. We build several physical robots that exhibit com
 plex shape morphing and varied terrain navigation\, showcasing the versati
 lity of our pipeline. This thesis explores applications ranging from intr
 icate light patterns displayed on 3D shapes formed by folding rigid PCBs t
 o untethered robots that use contractile muscles to exhibit shape morphing
  and locomotion. Through these examples\, the thesis highlights how compu
 tational design and distributed actuation\, integrated with novel material
 s\, can transform passive structures into functional prototypes.
LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101
 ) and Zoom\, ISTA
ORGANIZER:
SUMMARY:Manas Bhargava: Thesis Defense: Design and Control of Deformable St
 ructures: From PCB Lighting Displays to Elastomer Robots
URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5947
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