HCII Ph.D. Defense: Lea Albaugh
When
-
Description
Soft Technologies
Lea Albaugh
HCII Ph.D Thesis Defense
When and Where
Monday, August 12 at 1:00 (Eastern)
Newell-Simon Hall 3305
Zoom link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/91277528678
Thesis Committee
Scott Hudson (CMU HCII)
Lining Yao (formerly CMU HCII, currently Berkeley Mechanical Engineering)
Jessica Hammer (CMU HCII)
Mark Gross (CU Boulder ATLAS)
Abstract
This work explores soft technologies in computational fabrication: ways of creating with materials that are flexible, dynamic, and/or uncertain. Soft fabrication systems can
built to work with unusual materials, and to adapt to current and futures needs; they can be appropriate to a wide variety of contexts, including those outside of industrial and production work such as materials research labs or personal creative practice.
I develop the lens of "softness" through a combination of technical systems development and design inquiry, resulting in computational fabrication systems which explore softness at the levels of physical materials, contexts of use, and the workflows that bridge between them.
Uniting the findings from these, I provide a conceptual frame and a set of system-building tactics that can be used to create flexible and adaptable computational fabrication systems.
In documenting the individual systems, I also provide a number of supporting contributions, including techniques for producing complex mechanisms with machine knitting, demonstrations of inexpensive and easily deployable camera-based sensing for fabrication tasks, and insights from creative practitioners.
Open to the public
Like any thesis defense, this should be reasonably "general audience," and obviously it's a fun and exciting topic so you probably want to bring your friends. :) I do encourage you to mask if possible for in-person attendance.
Document: https://drive.