Scissor Pair Transformable Structures

Daniel Rosenberg

MIT SMArchS Thesis in Design and Computation, 2009
Scissor Pair Structure Simulation

This animation was created as part of Daniel Rosenberg's SMArchS thesis at MIT.

Movie info: QuickTime, 22 seconds, 400x400 pixels (496kb)

Rosenberg's thesis has been revised for conference preceedings at CAADRIA 2009 in Taiwan.
Scissor Pair White Paper (.pdf)

         

Thesis Overview

"Designing for uncertainty : novel shapes and behaviors using scissor-pair transformable structures"    (June 2009).

This research presents a novel method to Design for Uncertainty, along with an empirical experiment that explores the generation of uncertain shapes and behaviors using Scissor -pair Transformable Structures. While, the method proposes general directions to be applied across a range of different types of design projects, the experiment shows a specific application involving the conceptual design and physical implementation of Scissor-pair Transformable Structures. The method leverages uncertainty in a synergetic and continuous process from design conception to the life of the building, which is then materialized through transformable structures able to re-define themselves through time.

Fig. 1

3D assembly of centered, off-centered and angulated solutions

         
Fig. 2

Double scissor-pair component: proportions and two-dimensional array

         
Fig. 3

Double scissor-pair physical prototype

         
Fig. 4

Partial actuation and different type of transformations

         
Actuation Simulation

Movie info: QuickTime, 8 seconds, 400x300 pixels (212kb)