Human-in-the-loop fabrication of 3D surfaces with natural tree branches

Abstract

We propose a design and fabrication system leveraging the diverse shapes of natural wood. With our system, precise geometries are fabricated from non-standardized, naturally curved branches. In this way, low-valued tree branches are up-cycled to a construction material. The process is implemented as follows. Taking a set of branches and a user-defined parametric target surface, the system makes a reciprocal pattern of curves that lie on the surface. Then, it automatically matches the shapes of the scanned branches with these curves. There was a similar attempt to build a large beam structure from tree trunks using industrial equipment such as cranes and robot arms. In contrast, we target smaller surface structures from tree branches using more accessible tools (2.5D CNC) with human-in-the-loop operation. We ask the user to manually place a branch to a defined orientation with the help of audio-visual guidance. Then a CNC-machine can mill out the joint. Finally, the structure is assembled by hand without screws or adhesives.