Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Digital fabrication is the use of computer designed and controlled machines like 3D printing. It has revolutionized the design of digital artifacts and systems by dramatically improving our ability to prototype. Its capacity to efficiently produce detailed physical models for use with electronics has immeasurably advanced numerous design innovations. In the field of human-computer-interaction (HCI) that is dedicated to researching the design of technical artifacts and systems for human use, digital fabrication has improved the way the field creates prototypes, studies use, and conducts technical evaluations. Digital fabrication is also an area of research in HCI that includes the exploration of software design tools, techniques, and integration of traditional craft knowledge with digital technologies. However, in an era of climate change and biodiversity losses, digital fabrication has contributed to the increased use of synthetic materials that are either not or not easily biodegradable and are a challenge to recycle. The direct impact of this environmentally harmful waste in research is negligible. More consequential is the upstream adoption of digital fabrication advances at the industrial and consumer manufacturing levels that produce greater waste and environmental harm. However, there are promising innovations in sustainable biomaterials that are readily compostable. This proposal brings together digital fabrication with sustainable biomaterials to pursue sustainable digital fabrication. The proposal is to build an Organics Materials Fabrication Lab (OMFL) to digitally design and fabricate with organic materials. The proposal is a comprehensive system comprised of four components: 1) processing of organic materials; 2) creation of organic biomaterials for fabrication; 3) digital design and fabrication of prototypes with biomaterials; and 4) testing for real world use, biodegradability, and compostability of the materials and prototypes. This comprehensive approach to digital fabrication is based on circular design principles. It will support and progress sustainability research that will benefit the fields of HCI, digital design and manufacturing, engineering, as well as community digital fabrication facilities and the sustainable production of digital products. OMFL will further enable the research of the applicant and co-applicants of this proposal to create novel prototypes to develop sustainable urban sensing systems, domestic technologies, and bio-wearable devices, as well as fostering new computational tools and techniques. OMFL will support training of HQP to learn new skills and techniques for sustainable digital fabrication. OMFL is a unique proposal and so will contribute to Canada becoming an international leader in digital fabrication and sustainability that will lead to benefits to Canadian industry and consumers.