How To Make Something That Makes (almost) Anything MAS 961, 2004

Course Project Web Page

Manu Prakash Copyright © 2004

Topics for the semester
introduction
assignments
readings
projects
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The theme for this class is designing and building tools for personal fabrication. We have seen several revolutions already in the "digital" era, initially in computing and now slowly in personalization. It is a full circle in some sense since the worlds first and literally largest computers were first given the task to control very large CNC machines (computer numerically controlled) for making complex parts for aerospace industry. During the time a laser based desktop printer was invented, nobody had predicted that it would find its place as a everyday household object. With such a trend growing, this experimental class aims at building prototyping machines which can build functional objects. Computing since than has advanced tremedosly and small embedded microcomputers nowadays and workhorses. The same is not true for fabrication technologies, which are only now starting to show up in desktop formats. I think the aim of this class is to stretch the enevlope of technology for rapid functional prototyping machines. Maybe we are headed towards the age of "Object Cloners" [reference : read Tinitin and the lake of sharks. ]

This is a working space where I will be putting up my progress reports and project proposals during the course of the project. Some of the content might be password protected. Please contact the author.


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