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What if we built three-dimensional tensile structures by programming invisible electrostatic fields?
Electrospun Fields is a material-computational design framework that utilizes a custom robotic electrospinning system to generate form through the interaction of matter and invisible forces, moving beyond top-down geometric prescription to enable the growth of ultra-light, bio-compatible 3D membranes directly onto complex, non-planar scaffolds.
Electrospun Fields introduces a custom 3D electrospinning framework integrated with a UR20 robotic arm. By precisely controlling the emitter’s position and orientation, the system allows for field-conditioned deposition across intricate, non-planar geometries at scale.
We develop a bio-compatible material catalog, including polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and protein-based blends like silk and keratin, to define an operating envelope for stable fiber formation. Microscopic studies reveal how each formulation yields distinct fiber morphologies, alignment, and durability.
A series of deposition studies investigates how conductive scaffold curvature and topology guide material accumulation and membrane growth. These experiments show how fibers self-organize into volumetric structures and hyperbolic minimal surfaces rather than remaining as flat mats.
A scaffold taxonomy links geometric primitives and lattice systems to emergent deposition behaviors. This matrix formalizes how geometry conditions anisotropy, density gradients, and hierarchical structuring in electrospun membranes.
Robotic motion synchronizes electrospinning parameters—distance, speed, and angle—making deposition spatially programmable. This transforms the electric field into a computation layer that shapes fiber density, orientation, and thickness in real time.
This artifact transforms human hair—a signifier of identity and the body’s most abundant waste product—into a shared nano-fiber membrane through robotic 3D electrospinning. By tracking surface normals with a UR20 arm to overcome field shielding on concave facial topologies, the process uses vertical field intensifiers to grow algorithmically programmed gradients of structural opacity directly onto the wearer.
This sculptural garment explores the morphology of Lepidopteran wings, where minimal venation supports vast, structurally efficient membranes. Utilizing robotic orbital toolpaths to intensify field gradients across a hand-sculpted wire chassis, the piece generates emergent non-planar ruled surfaces that bridge open topologies up to 45 cm.
Behnaz Farahi (Critical Matter Group Director)
Justin Wan (Computational Design & Robot Control), Ayah Mahmoud (Material Characterization & Deposition Studies), Frank (Haotian) Cong (Research Design & Early Development), Avantika Velho (Material Research), Annie Xing (Chrysalis), Berfin Ataman (Early System Development), Sergio Mutis (Research Development), James Xiao (Syringe Pump Development), Paolo Salvagione (Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Consultant).
This research was developed in collaboration with the Rutledge Research Group at the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering, with special thanks to Nathan Ewell and Greg Rutledge. We also thank the Center for Bits and Atoms for their generosity. This work is supported MIT–LUMA Grant.