Hasso-Plattner-Institut
Prof. Dr. Patrick Baudisch
 

constructable

interactive lasercutting

Figure 1: (a) Constructable users interact by drafting directly on the workpiece with hand-held lasers. (b) Here the user sketches a finger joint across two objects (c) The system responds by cutting the desired joint using the cutting laser. (d) Constructable allows creating precise & functional mechanical objects, such as this simple motorized vehicle.

Personal fabrication tools, such as laser cutters and 3D printers allow users to create precise objects quickly. However, working through a CAD system removes users from the workpiece. Recent interactive fabrication tools reintroduce this directness, but at the expense of precision.
Constructable is an interactive drafting table that produces precise physical output in every step. Users interact by drafting directly on the workpiece using a hand-held laser pointer. The system tracks the pointer, beautifies its path, and implements its effect by cutting the workpiece using a fast high-powered laser cutter.

Figure 2: (a, b) Constructable offers 15 different proxy lasers.

constructable on YouTube

Publication

Mueller, S., Lopes, P. and Baudisch, P.
Interactive Construction: Interactive Fabrication of Functional Mechanical Devices. In Proceedings of UIST 2012, pp. 599-606.
 PDF (6.6MB) |  Slides (107.9MB) |  Video