Designed Morphologies was presented to the public as part of the ITP Spring Show. Several experiments were on display, leading onlookers through problems addressed in the research and possibilities for the future.

How Nature Models:
Room Temperature, Room Pressure, Non-Toxic Materials, Material Conservation, Anisotropy, Fibers, Density

We look to “NATURE” for inspiration in ideals of beauty and harmony, often naively. Observing nature in the realm of fabrication is subject to some of the same idealism and error, yet scientists are looking beyond poetic abstractions to something much more fascinating — that is the question of how material comes together in the creation of elegant structural solutions to problems of strength and fitness. Some relevant issues at hand are the abilities of organisms to form materials at room temperature and pressure, using non-toxic ingredients in a resourceful manner. Getting metal, lumber and plastic into the variety of shapes that we design requires often enormous amounts of heat and pressure, and therefore enormous amounts of energy. Living organisms are more conservative with energy, and are capable of creating strong materials like bone, cartilage, tendon, shells, glass, bark and coral at the temperature and pressure of their natural habitat.

DEPOSIT
Material Mixes For a Powder Printer

Ease of use is perhaps one of the most significant factors for the success of rapid prototyping technologies. 3D printers create gorgeous renditions of digital models. The technology of plastic printers is advancing quickly, and recent versions allow for the printing of multiple materials in the same model — hard plastic can be deposited right next to a softer more flexible plastic. 3D powder printers, on the other hand, are capable of creating models in almost any medium that can be created from a powder and liquid component. There is enormous space for developing materials for powder printers which are generally less wasteful than their plastic extruding cousins, regardless of the current limitations in how many materials can be integrated in a single model.

In order to demonstrate the possibilities for future generations of powder printers, I set up a jig for manually printing in non-toxic powder and liquid media. The human powered printer works very similarly to commercial 3D printers: a roller spreads a thin layer of powder over a bed that is lowered in tiny increments as material is built up layer by layer. Simulating a print head that jets liquid binder over the powder in regions that will become a part of the final model, I created a stencil and misted liquid over each layer of powder. The first material tested is a cellulose-based resin, and even with this crude process, the printed model is quite strong. I am currently testing other materials, including starches and alginates.

AGGREGATE
Emulating Variation in Bone Density By Controlling Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate

Compact bone accounts for 80% of the total bone mass of an adult. The more porous cancellous, or spongy bone, accounts for only 20%, yet it has nearly ten times the surface area of compact bone. Using electrolysis, a method of creating chemical reactions by placing two ends of a power source into a medium, calcium carbonate can be accumulated in a controlled manner onto the cathode. Bone is made of of calcium phosphate, but calcium carbonate is a close cousin, collected by sea creatures to build strong shells.

The electrolytic process can help clarify how organisms control the formation of composite materials: bone and shells are made up of mostly minerals and only fractionally of proteins. DNA encodes for the production of these proteins which an organism uses as tiny magnets to direct the crystallization of inorganic minerals. Electrolysis demonstrates that calcium carbonate has an atomic structure that is attracted by a negative charge — a quality that underwater organisms use to structure their hard bodies.

Imagining electrolysis as a possible fabrication technology in itself, I aggregated calcium carbonate onto a designed structure, varying its density over time. Variation in density enables a conservation of materials while maintaining strong voluminous forms. The crystallization of calcium carbonate onto the cathode is influenced by several factors, primarily current. A higher current is capable of quickly precipitating CaCO3 out of a salt water environment, resulting in a light, spongy, and voluminous crystal structure, yet the material produced is very brittle. A lower current accumulates CaCO3 much more slowly, but its structure is more dense and less brittle. By varying the current circulating through the system, a structure with a light open interior and a dense exterior is produced.

By aggregating a material in this controlled way, it is possible to imagine a method by which objects can be fabricated with the same resourcefulness at which nature excels.

GROW
Culturing Mycelium as a Building Material: Growing the Glue

We are able to print organs by layering cells on top of one another in conjunction with nutrient layers, causing the cells to grow together into a unified entity. Material scientists use bio-engineering to isolate genes for the production of certain substances, like silk for instance. They put this gene inside of another very simple organism such as e.coli bacteria which becomes a machine for the generation the synthetic material. The use of living organisms in the production of new media means that materials can be cultured, laborers, alive, “born”, “killed”, and yet immediately intertwined with natural cycles of waste and renewal.

Designers Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre have popularized the use of mycelium to grow foam housing insulation and packaging. Being a very lightweight material, foam is of special interest beyond its protective qualities, especially if the waste created is compostable. Sculptors frequently carve objects from foam stock because of its portability and softness. Complex and curvy forms can be achieved, but regular high density foam, just like most plastics, is a by-product of petroleum. Heat forming polystyrene with hot wire cutters is especially noxious. By using plant matter like husks, oat bran and sawdust as the substrate for a compostable foam, dependency on a petroleum product is reduced and waste is easily bio-degraded.

Mycelium acts as a glue joining plant fibers together in a lightweight building material. The fungus replaces cellulose in the fibers as it grows. Here in NY I was privileged to have the help of Terreform One biologist Oliver Midvedik intern Dylan Butman who were very generous with their own research so that I might understand what the fungus needs to grow. I tested recipes for culturing mycelium within different substrates that produced changes in the consistency of the final foam product. I also created a silicone mold so that I could grow the material as a cast — directly replicating the desired shape without a need for further sculpting.

There are several limitations to culturing mycelium. Mushrooms tend to grow in anti-bacterial environments. The sap of trees especially has antibacterial properties, making wood and old logs a preferred medium for the growth of fungus. The cultures are easily contaminated, so great care is taken to keep the tools and media sterile: containers which are usually plastic, rubber or glass, are washed in a bleach bath and rubbed down with alcohol, the substrate is heated to kill unwanted bacteria and everything is handled with clean gloved hands. Over a period of about a week, a culture will turn the substrate into a beautiful creamy white block. The culture is then dried, killing the fungus and stopping its growth. With an understanding of the undesirable parts of this process, I am driven even further to address our dependence on plastic.

Alongside the experiments, visitors could look over a small library of texts and blog articles from experiment&play that connect computer aided design (CAD), bio-technology, synthetic biology, morphology, generative systems and design.

© 2011, Corrie Van Sice