Duro-Royo, J., Van Zak, J., Tai, Y.J., Ling, A.S. and Oxman, N., 2017. Parametric chemistry reverse engineering biomaterial composites for additive manufacturing of bio-cement structures across scales. In Challenges for Technology Innovation (Vol. 217, No. 223, pp. 217-223).

Abstract

At the close of the Digital Age, the fields of digital design and fabrication remain constrained by the canons of manufacturing and mass production. Products, structures and architectural constructions are still designed in terms of discrete elements with distinct functions and homogeneous properties (Oxman, 2016). By contrast, living structures grow from cells programmed to tune their physical and chemical properties—through growth and remodeling—as a function of genetic, intracellular and environmental constraints and across spatial and temporal scales (Oxman, 2015). In this paper, we propose a novel design approach and technology enabling integration between geometrical complexity, material behavior and robotic fabrication at scales that approach—and often match—those of Nature.