Digital fabrication is a process that merges design and manufacture through the use of digital tools (software) and computer-controlled manufacturing processes. Such processes position "digital natives" in the forefront of craft and form generation. Today, engineers, designers and artists are leading the development of new sculpting, construction and manufacturing strategies. Methods such as CNC milling, laser cutting, robotic fabrication among others, allow us to materialise radical new forms inspired by biological processes, mathematics and computational geometry.
Lecturers: Clemens Winkler, Luke Franzke
Course Goals
In this course, students gain an insight into methods and techniques that blur the boundary between digital and analogue, virtual and physical. Students gain insights into principles from geometry and formation processes from nature. The course provides a number of skills that are highly transferable to various aspects of prototyping for interaction designers.
Course Structure
The course is Monday to Friday over two weeks, with the first week primarily focuses on basic skills, and the 2nd week focuses on the main project. In the first week, students work individually to acquire basic skills. In the 2nd week, students form teams of 2 to 3 students to complete the main project.
Contents
Topic 2019: Future Food
This years topic is Future Food. How does the digital fit with a supremely analogue experience of experiencing flavours and aromas? Emerging technologies will change how we work in the kitchen, how we experience eating, how we gain nutrients and how our food consumption impacts the environment. Current food production methods are polarised with highly mechanised industrial fabrication on one side and intimate, small scale artisanal practices on the other. Digital Fabrication has allowed industrial processes to become bespoke and more accessible, could this also be the case for food? Will we be working together with robots in the kitchen, will we design our own food on the genetic level? How might digital fabricated food give us new sensory experiences, or play with or perceptions to give us fulfilling experiences while making us healthier or less consuming of natural resources?
Possible subtopics:
- Digital fabricated food
- Lab-Grown Meat
- Hybrid Fabrication in food production (new paradigms for food production between artisan and mass production)
- Automation
- New mechanism of nutrition (Intravenous? Aerosols ? Soylentgreen?)
- Generative design of aromas, textures, flavours and forms.
Topic Links and References :
- Astronaut food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vVle67Tfjc
- https://space10.io/project/future-food-today-a-space10-cookbook/
- http://www.fluxmagazine.com/molecular-gastronomy/
- https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/robotics/robots-kitchen-at-the-table
- https://the-dots.com/projects/dinnerdata-future-food-speculative-design-242917
- http://www.likecool.com/The_3D_printed_Drink--Projects--Gear.html
- The Futurist cookbook: http://www.sternberg-press.com/index.php?pageId=1545&l=en&bookId=439&sort=year
- Synesthetic Design: Handbook for a Multi-Sensory Approach
- Multisensuelles Design. Eine Anthologie Herausgegeben von Peter Luckner
- Great summary of the multisensory quality of flavour. We should try the sonic chip experiment: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867415002603
- Food for the Eyes exhibition, C/O Berlin https://www.co-berlin.org/food-eyes
- Food Revolution exhibition at Gewerbemuseum Winterthur https://www.gewerbemuseum.ch/ausstellungen/food-revolution
- Food: Bigger than the plate at V&A London https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/food-bigger-than-the-plate
- The Dutch Insitute of Food and Design https://thedifd.com/articles/an-exhibition-about-the-future-of-food/
- Inspiration on Food Narratives: https://www.instagram.com/thisismold/?hl=de
- Amazing food production machinery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqHfGyQfanE
- Highly realistic simulations of baking processes https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=268&v=iBpolaB4DqA&feature=emb_title
Excursion:
Other ideas:
- https://www.alimentarium.org
- Renoult EIT Food Research
- EPFL food laboratory
- Nestle
- Mushroom robotic Harvesting : https://www.venturekick.ch/Agrinium
- DNA nutrition startup in Lausanne
Expectations and Grading
Grades will be based on group presentations, class participation, documentation and final work. An attendance of min. 80% is required to pass the course.
- Individual Work and Documentation (week one)
- Group Work in the main project (week two)
Individual Work (30%)
- Workbook documentation of exercises and minor projects from weeks 1
- Presentation of Minor Project
Group Work (70%) // note we still need to clarify the brief for the main project
- Exhibition of process and outcomes
- Final Presentation
- Standard IAD Documentation
- Video (Making of, Final Prototype)
- Image selection
- Short Documentation (PDF)
Final Presentation notes:
- 5 minutes for presentation, and 5 minutes for feedback and discussion
- Live demonstration of your project
- Explain the process and the thinking that brought you to this outcome
Time Plan
Room for all days: 3.E07-A
| Week 1 | Mo., 6.1. | Tu. 7.1. | We 8.1. | Th. 9.1. | Fr. 10.1. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morning | 10.00 Intro Digital Fabrication | 9.00 Possible symposium with Product Design | Processing and 3D printing. | Minor Exercise | |
| Afternoon | Cad Software exercises | 13.30 Start Minor exercise | 14.00 3D Printing Intro | 13.00 CNC Milling Intro | 13.30 Minor project end pressentation |
| Week 2 | Mo. 13.1. | Tu. 14.1. | We. 15.1. | Th. 16.1. | Fr. 17.1. |
| Morning | Possible Visit to: https://designerstable.ch/ | 9:00 Input of food fabrication part I | Work on Main Project | Work on Main Project | Documentation |
| Afternoon | 13:00 Input of food fabrication part II Work on Main Project 13.00 Mentoring | Work on Main Project | 16.00 Final Presentation
| 15.00 Cleaning Up/ Documenting |
//notes
//ToDos for Luke and Clemens:
Prepare Raw Material:
- Chocolate for melting
- Silicone
- Molecular Gastronomy Materials
Prepare inputs relating to foods:
- Silicone casting process
- 3D print Cholocate
- Spherification, Molecular Gastronomy
- Laser-cut food
- vaporising kits for "edible clouds" (Clemens)
Logistics
- Find room from the final presentation / Setting up Pop-Up kitchen or dining table (including lasercut´ dishes, recipes) for presenting – other people can share ideas on what the food might be for > social impact of outcomes (only ~3hours)
- Find a space for a more permanent exhibit (stammtisch?)
- Find room for software inputs
- Get a screen for inputs (or beamer)
- Campus Card for Clemens