Advancing computational design and fabrication through metamaterials

Introduction

Liane Makatura, a PhD student in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, studies computational design and fabrication. Her project focuses on the exploration of mechanical metamaterials, aiming to reimagine the way we design and manufacture physical objects.

Solution & Impact

Makatura’s research aims to create physical objects with exceptional behaviors and properties, such as sound/vibration dampening, surprising deformations, or extreme strength-to-weight ratios. To create these effects, she studies the behavior of small, repeating geometric patterns called metamaterials. Her code designs and evaluates new metamaterial patterns, and then stacks them together like Legos to form functional 3d-printable objects. This approach can be applied to many exciting domains, including prosthetics, bone implants, energy management, and multi-functional parts for satellites and aircraft. The project also contributes to sustainability by reducing material waste and energy consumption in manufacturing processes.

Features

• Exploration of diverse shapes and structures to identify those with unique and desirable properties.
• Creation of a unified design space for metamaterials, to allow more comprehensive automated design exploration.
• Development of user-friendly software for the interactive design and evaluation of novel metamaterial patterns
• Development of algorithms for designing objects that exhibit specific behaviors and mechanical responses.