Smart Cities

The 3DprintedClock project is the result of ready-assembled 3-D printed computational mechanisms, and is related to research in the fields of rapid prototyping and digital fabrication. The clock was modeled in CAD software after an existing clock, and uses a weight and a pendulum to keep track of time. The CAD model was created according to the specifications of the 3-D printer, assuring sufficient gaps and clearances for the different parts. In addition, support material, drainage, and perforations were added to allow for excess support material being removed after printing. The 3DprintedClock is intended to demonstrate the superior capabilities of 3-D printing as a fabrication process. It should contribute toward the future use of 3-D printers to replace injection molding and expensive tooling processes, and allow for on demand, customized, and “greener” consumer products.

Can animated playground props support and possibly enhance open-ended and physically active play in playgrounds? This project expands the repertoire of objects conceived specifically for children’s outdoor play environments. A category of playground prop called space explorer suggests new opportunities for children to experience their outdoor play environment.

The Architectural Machines project is augmenting the importance of Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machines in fabrication, prototyping, and construction. In particular, the project aims to develop new processes that enable additive prototyping and construction at a large, architectural scale. One specific implementation combines robot arms with 3-D weaving technology to create a new, high-accuracy prototyping machine for on-site fabrication in industries such as architecture, aerospace, and automotive. It would also be suitable for environments that are difficult for humans to inhabit—remote mountain or desert regions, deep sea or even outer space! Currently, industrial robot arms are not only used for repetitive assembly line tasks, but also for composite lay-up, bricklaying, milling and routing, welding, applying adhesives, and many more tasks related to architecture, but these automated CNC systems are mostly stationary and depend on molds to form the final shapes. We are investigating the potential for on-site construction machines that would cut down on overhead in management, coordination, fabrication, and transportation.

Street lighting in most urban environments is not responsive to the presence of people. As awareness around light pollution and energy losses increases how can we retrofit existing infrastructures to become more responsive and interactive? In addition, can we convey information through movement or ambient lighting effects in public spaces? The Augmented Street Light presents a first step towards investigating these questions. Like Urban Pixels in the Smart Cities group, the project further explores the boundaries between information display and urban lighting in cities.

A new set of conditions for the design of architecture and automobiles has emerged as a result of the digital revolution. Information technology, low-cost sensing, low-cost computation, CAD/CAM, and innovative materials have changed the rules. As a result, environments and products have greater variety, flexibility, embedded intelligence, and functionality. Mass customization has surpassed mass production. This research looks at developing customizable, intelligent environments beginning with the loft apartment and small car contexts. Such environments would allow for movable wall partitions, connectivity and interchangeability among electronic systems, flexible climatic control, complex spatial configurations, intelligent plumbing and mechanical systems, and adaptive packaging and integration of consumer products.

How can traditional values be embedded into a digital object? We explore this concept by implementing a special guitar that combines physical acoustic properties with virtual capabilities. The acoustical values will be embodied by a wooden heart—a unique, replaceable piece of wood that will give the guitar a unique sound. The acoustic signal created by this wooden heart will be digitally processed in order to create flexible sound design.

The CityCar is a foldable, electric, two-passenger vehicle for crowded cities. It uses Wheel Robots—fully modular in-wheel electric motors—that integrate drive motors, suspension, braking, and steering inside the hub-space of the wheel. This drive-by-wire system requires only data, power, and mechanical connection to the chassis of the vehicle. Wheel Robots have over 120 degrees of steering freedom, allowing for a zero-turn radius and 90-degree parking (sideways translation); they also enable the CityCar to fold by eliminating the gasoline-powered engine and drive-train. Folded, the CityCar is very compact (roughly 60” or 1500mm), with an on-street parking ratio of at least 3:1 to traditional cars. It is also lightweight (1000lbs) and modular, and automatically recharges when parked, reducing battery needs and excess weight. The CityCar has two use models: private (traditional ownership), and shared (Mobility On Demand, high-utilization, one-way shared systems like Paris’s Vélib' bicycle-sharing program).

The CityCar Chassis is a full-scale and modular testing platform consisting of four independently controlled Wheel Robots, an extruded aluminum frame, battery pack, driver's interface, and seating for two. Each Wheel Robot is capable of over 120 degrees of steering freedom, thus giving the CityCar chassis omnidirectional driving ability such as sideways parking, zero-radius turning, torque steering, and variable velocity (in each wheel) steering. The four-wheeler also allows the CityCar design team to add a highly personalized body/cabin and swap in an eventual folding frame.

The CityCar folding chassis is a half-scale working prototype that consists of four in-wheel electric motors, four-bar linkage mechanism for folding, operable front ingress/egress doors, lithium-nanophosphate battery packs, vehicle controls, and a storage compartment. The folding chassis can demonstrate compact folding (3:1 ratio compared to conventional vehicles), omni-directional driving, and wireless remote controls. The half-scale mock-up explores the material character and potential manufacturing strategies that will scale to a future full-scale build.

Cornucopia is a concept design for a personal food factory that brings the versatility of the digital world to the realm of cooking. In essence, it is a three-dimensional printer for food, which works by storing, precisely mixing, depositing, and cooking layers of ingredients. Cornucopia's cooking process starts with an array of food canisters, which refrigerate and store a user's favorite ingredients. These are piped into a mixer and extruder head that can accurately deposit elaborate combinations of food. While the deposition takes place, the food is heated or cooled by Cornucopia's chamber or the heating and cooling tubes located on the printing head. This fabrication process not only allows for the creation of flavors and textures that would be completely unimaginable through other cooking techniques, but it also allows the user to have ultimate control over the origin, quality, nutritional value, and taste of every meal.

Rapid prototyping technologies speed product design by facilitating visualization and testing of prototypes. However, such machines are limited to using one material at a time; even high-end 3-D printers which accomodate the deposition of multiple materials must do so discretely and not in mixtures. This project aims to build a proof of concept of a 3-D printer able to dynamically mix and vary the ratios of different materials in order to produce a continuous gradient of material properties. This ability would vastly expand the potential of prototypes, since the varying properties could allow for evaluations such as stress testing.

GreenWheel is a modular, in-wheel electric motor that transforms any pedal-powered bicycle into an electrically assisted hybrid bicycle (an "E-bike"). The patented design integrates electric motor, batteries, and motor controllers inside the hub space without any wires to the frame, allowing the GreenWheel to be retrofitted to any type of bicycle. A wireless controller on the handlebars of the bicycle allows the user to modulate the amount of power while pedaling. Regenerative braking will allow the capture of potential energy when riding downhill in order to assist in recharging the battery. GreenWheel can be driven approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) with motor assist and pedaling on one charge. GreenWheel will enable users to easily overcome inclines and to ride longer distances, thus opening up cycling to a wider audience.

We are experimenting with systems that blur the boundary between urban lighting and digital displays in public spaces. These systems consist of liberated pixels, which are not confined to rigid frames as are typical urban screens. Liberated pixels can be applied to existing horizontal and vertical surfaces in any configuration, and communicate with each other to enable a different repertoire of lighting and display patterns. We are currently developing "urban pixels," a wireless infrastructure for liberated pixels. Composed of autonomous, solar-powered units, the system presents a programmable and distributed interface that is flexible and easy to deploy. Each unit includes an on-board battery, solar cells, RF transceiver unit, and microprocessor.

Taipei City Government is going to hold the 2010 International Horticultural Expo in Taipei City and ITRI will debut and operate their 200 Light Electric Vehicles in the Expo site. Smart Cities will collaborate with ITRI to design an urban implementation plan for these vehicles in Taiwan after the Expo is over. The plan will be the pilot program for LEV in a real urban environment and base on the Mobility-on-Demand system.

“Light bodies” are mobile and portable, hand-held lights that respond to audio and vibration input. The motivation to build these devices is grounded in a historical reinterpretation of street lighting. Before fixed infrastructure illuminated cities at night, people carried lanterns with them to make their presence known. Using this as our starting point, we asked how we might engage people in more actively shaping the lightscapes which surround them. A first iteration of responsive, LED-based coloured lights were designed for use in three different settings including a choreographed dance performance, an outdoor public installation and an audio-visual event.

Mobility On Demand (MOD) systems consist of a fleet of lightweight electric vehicles placed at electrical charging stations that are strategically distributed throughout the city. MOD systems solve the “first and last mile” problem that public transit systems do not solve—providing mobility from the transit station to and from your home or workplace. In a MOD system, users simply walk up to the closest station, swipe a membership card, and are given access to vehicles. They are then allowed to drive to any other station (one-way rental) closest to their desired destination. The Vélib' system in Paris, consisting of over 20,000 shared bicycles, is the largest and most popular MOD system in the world. The Smart Cities group has designed and developed three MOD vehicles: the CityCar, RoboScooter, and GreenWheel Bicycle. The team is also developing a dynamic pricing structure to help redistribute the fleet.

One-way vehicle sharing systems are decentralized urban mobility networks of vehicles and parking stations; users can pick up a vehicle from any station and return it to any other station. However, due to trip distribution asymmetries, station inventories become unbalanced quickly, reducing system reliability. Existing solutions involve fleet redistribution by trucks, which is complex, inefficient, and financially unsustainable. Mobility On Demand (MOD) is a new, self-organized, one-way vehicle-sharing system that uses dynamic pricing to incentivize users to redistribute the fleet and keep the system in balance. Similar to a market, trip price adjusts to inventory needs in origin and destination stations. A framework using system dynamics explains MOD system behavior and will be used to determine optimum pricing policy, number of parking stations, and number of vehicles for having a stable yet profitable system.

New Object Studio challenges traditional design paradigms by approaching old and new design questions with innovative digital tools and fabrication processes. Using this approach, [N][O] Studio focuses on creating new artifacts. These new products combine mechanical and electronic components to challenge traditional notions of manufactured objects through their integrated functional, visual, and narrative qualities.

Animated artifacts require many different electronic and mechanical components, as well as appropriate drive software. This complexity has led to a kit-of-parts thinking in designing robotic assemblies, enabling more people to engage with animated devices. However, these robotics kits provide designers with a series of given constraints; the resulting black box becomes a form factor around which design is created rather than an integral part of the completed artifact, and these devices lack the specificity and material diversity of traditionally crafted artifacts. Many rapid prototyping tools propagate the same logic; for example, laser cutters are more frequently used to build casings that hide embedded mechanics and electronics than components that celebrate them. PlywoodServo considers a holistic approach to the design of animated artifacts in order to recapture the magic of engaging with their mechanical and electronic components together.

The RoboScooter is an electric, foldable, sharable motorbike developed in collaboration with SYM and ITRI. The design tackles the biggest problems in major urban centers: pollution, congestion, parking, and energy use. The RoboScooter system, part of the Mobility On Demand project, allows users to pick up a bike from a scooter stack and drop it off at any other stack. The bike utilizes scooter-sized Wheel Robots developed for the CityCar project. The design team will develop innovative business and ownership models to help implement the scooter through pilot programs developed jointly by candidate cities.

The mechanical components that make driving a vehicle possible—such as acceleration, braking, steering, and springing—are located inside the space of a hubless wheel, forming independent wheel robots and freeing the vehicular space of these components. Connected to the chassis are simple mechanical, power, and data connections, allowing for the wheel robots to plug in to a vehicle simply and quickly. A CPU in the vehicle provides the input necessary for driving according to the vehicle's dimensions or loading condition. The design of the wheel robots provides optimal contact patch placement, lower unsprung and rotational mass, omnidirectional steering, great space savings, and modularity, as the wheel robots can function appropriately on vehicles of different dimensions and weight. By "putting the whole car in the wheel," it is possible to separate production, service, and life cycles of the mechanical components of the car from those of its architectural components.