For the sculpture Oxman made for Technology Review, she and Carter didn’t have the same structural constraints imposed by a chair. The only requirements were that the result look like a cube, and that it should have the words “Making the Future” on one side. The resulting cube isn’t a practical object, but it illustrates their approach to design.
The algorithms that define the shape of the sculpture are based on natural processes. One is the unmixing of two fluids. At high temperatures, oil and vinegar, for example, become completely soluble, but as the solution cools, the two fluids start to separate.
“You write down a set of equations based on what you know about thermodynamics and the kinetics of materials, and the equations develop these structures that look like fluids separating,” Carter says. The resulting sculpture looks as if that process has been frozen and a cube has been cut from the center of the liquids. To make the lettering, Carter introduced other equations that caused one “fluid” to be attracted to the letters, and the other to be repelled. (To see an animation of how the fluids move to create the lettering, created by Carter, click here.)
Oxman and Carter fiddled with the algorithms until they reached the final shape they wanted, then shipped the resulting computer-aided design file to the 3-D printing company Objet to make the six-inch cube.
The technology used to make the cube involves an inkjet printer to lay down a layer of polymer ink, which is exposed to ultraviolet light to cure it. This requires printing a sacrificial support structure made of a soft polymer that can be blasted away with a jet of water.
Oxman’s designs even push the limits of existing 3-D printers—the cube was so complex that it proved impossible to remove all of the supporting material from its center. Yet pushing the limits of 3-D printing is partly her goal. Indeed, her lab at MIT is developing new kinds of 3-D printers.
Oxman’s lab is also developing robotic systems that could print large concrete structures for buildings. The new robotic system is being designed to be able to vary the density of the concrete, making it possible to use dense, strong concrete where it’s needed for support, and lightweight, porous concrete for non-load bearing walls, to save on materials costs. Eventually, it may even be possible to print concrete that’s so porous that it’s translucent, reducing the need for indoor lighting.
Oxman continues to push forward designs with her art. She says the approach used for the Technology Review cube could serve as the basis for one of the 18 sculptures in a new exhibit she is developing for the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The exhibit will open this spring.