Automatics

The Automatics system focused on overcoming the limitations of traditional instruction manuals and tailoring the experience of fabricating artifacts to individual makers.

I coded the maker interface using Python with the Flask web framework, along with Three.js, which was used to render 3D models representing artifacts. Each mesh in the 3D model could be named, enabling the meshes to be coloured and animated separately. FreeCAD's command line interface could be automatically called to regenerate 3D models on the fly. This enabled the Automatics system to account for maker errors and personalization choices. I used web sockets for communication between multiple Automatics clients, enabling multi-maker, drop-in fabrication.

Publication

Figures

The Maker Interface instructing the user to cut out a shape to make a box.
The Maker Interface presents Dynamic Manuals to the maker in a step-by-step fashion.
The Task Overview showing a grid of instruction steps for making a box.
The Task Overview shows all maker's past steps and current step. It also presents a simulation of the future tasks that might be assigned to each maker.