articles+ search results

design, utopia, alteration, prototyping, progetto, and alterazione

The purpose of this paper is to re-explore the relationship between utopia and architecture, trying first and foremost to challenge the way utopia has been conceived by architectural thought: i.e., as the prefiguration of a future seen as an ‘otherness’ distinct from the present, as far as the totality of its spatial, social, and political dimensions are concerned. Such vision – as we will argue – turns out to be deeply linked to a design logic of ‘projection’ and ‘prescription’; this, however, is not the only possible logic of design. Through a reflection upon some contemporary architectural practices, we will try to highlight a new horizon for design action, in which even utopia abandons its traditional ‘projective’ role and takes on a new meaning: rather than being the non-place of a possible future, utopia stands for what doesn’t have place in the present but can emerge from its alteration. Such notion of utopia as a form of ‘situated critique’, in a concrete space and time, helps to dig more deeply into the political potential of many contemporary forms of architectural and urban design.
Il proposito di questo contributo è tornare a esplorare la relazione tra utopia e architettura, cercando innanzitutto di mettere in questione il modo in cui l’utopia è stata concepita tradizionalmente nel pensiero architettonico: vale a dire, come la prefigurazione di un futuro concepito come alterità rispetto al presente, nella totalità delle sue dimensioni spaziali, sociali e politiche. Tale visione - come si cercherà di illustrare - è intimamente legata a una certa logica “proiettiva” e “prescrittiva” che, tuttavia, non è l’unica logica possibile del progetto. Attraverso una riflessione su alcuni modi del progetto di architettura contemporaneo, si cercherà infatti di mettere in evidenza una nuova logica progettuale, in cui anche l’utopia abbandona il suo carattere proiettivo tradizionale per acquisire un nuovo senso: non più il non-luogo di un futuro possibile, bensì ciò che non ha luogo nel presente e che può tuttavia emergere dalla sua alterazione. Questa nozione di utopia come “critica situata” concretamente in uno spazio e in un tempo aiuta a comprendere più in profondità il potenziale politico di molte delle forme contemporanee di progetto architettonico e urbano.

design, utopia, alteration, prototyping, Fine Arts, Aesthetics, and BH1-301

The purpose of this paper is to re-explore the relationship between utopia and architecture, trying first and foremost to challenge the way utopia has been conceived by architectural thought: i.e., as the prefiguration of a future seen as an ‘otherness’ distinct from the present, as far as the totality of its spatial, social, and political dimensions are concerned. Such vision – as we will argue – turns out to be deeply linked to a design logic of ‘projection’ and ‘prescription’; this, however, is not the only possible logic of design. Through a reflection upon some contemporary architectural practices, we will try to highlight a new horizon for design action, in which even utopia abandons its traditional ‘projective’ role and takes on a new meaning: rather than being the non-place of a possible future, utopia stands for what doesn’t have place in the present but can emerge from its alteration. Such notion of utopia as a form of ‘situated critique’, in a concrete space and time, helps to dig more deeply into the political potential of many contemporary forms of architectural and urban design.

educational robotics, 3D printing, didactics, semplexity, robotica educativa, stampa 3D, and Education

The paper presents the results of the design, development, implementation and beta-testing of a customizable educational robot, aimed at fostering the development of digital skills in upper secondary school students and encouraging the development of coding in students attending primary school. Specifically, the robot named "Disuffo" is entirely 3D-printed and is composed almost exclusively by interlocking pieces and mounted by screws. Secondary school students are to be involved in the assembly, mounting and modification of the hardware and software of the robot (the robot already owns a software park) while the primary school children will be engaged in coding tasks using the robot. The aim of this paper is to describe the implementation experiences already carried out, and to promote the dissemination of the project, encouraging the involvement of potentially readers that may be interested in the future development of the project. Disuffo: Design, prototipazione e sviluppo di un robot didattico open-source L’articolo presenta il risultato di un lavoro di progettazione, sviluppo, implementazione e beta-testing di un robot didattico personalizzabile, realizzato per favorire lo sviluppo delle competenze digitali di studenti frequentanti la scuola secondaria di secondo grado e per favorire lo sviluppo del coding in studenti frequentanti la scuola primaria. Nello specifico, il robot, battezzato Disuffo, è interamente stampato in 3D ed è composto quasi unicamente da pezzi ad incastro o montabili tramite viti. Disuffo è stato pensato per la scuola secondaria di secondo grado per fini didattici e con lo scopo di essere montato, modificato ed utilizzato sia relativamente alla parte hardware che alla parte logica, con i software in dotazione (il robot possiede già un parco software proprio); per la scuola primaria per favorire lo sviluppo del coding. Scopo del lavoro è quello di descrivere le esperienze di implementazione già effettuate, e di favorire la diffusione del progetto, incoraggiando l’adesione al futuro sviluppo del progetto da parte di lettori potenzialmente interessati.

Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Registries, Renal Dialysis instrumentation, and Vascular Access Devices

We have developed a new registry of the Vascular Accesses (VA) of all the patients afferent to our health district in order to improve their management. We recorded all the VAs of the prevalent patients on 12/31/2017. The VA type and location, the vessels involved, the number of surgical procedures received by the patient and the kind of anastomosis of the VA were all recorded. As for Central Venous Catheters (CVC), we recorded the reason for the choice as well as the site and the characteristics of CVC. Results: The VA of 726 prevalent patients were registered. Their age was 66+15 years on average, and 63% were male. The native arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) were 609 (84%), of which 65% were located on the distal forearm (DF), 10% on the middle forearm (MF), 5% on proximal forearm (PF), 4% on the arm (AM). The arteriovenous Grafts (AVG) were 12 (1.7%). The CVCs were 105 (14.5%). More women than men received a CVC (p<0.005) or an AVF on the AM (p<0.05). Patients over 75 had less FAVs in the AM (P<0.05) and less Grafts (P<0.05). Diabetics patients had more CVCs (p<0.05) but were generally older (p<0.001). Patients in HD for renal transplantation loss had more AVFs at the arm (p<0.001) and Grafts (p<0.001), and less AVFs on the DF (p>0.001). The comparison of data between 2013 and 2017 shows a steady situation in the prevalence of VA. Conclusions: The new VA registry has allowed us to detect and record important information, both from a clinical and an epidemiological point of view.
(Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.)

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Maxillary Neoplasms diagnostic imaging, Maxillofacial Abnormalities diagnostic imaging, Maxillofacial Abnormalities pathology, Middle Aged, Preoperative Care, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, User-Computer Interface, Computer Simulation, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Maxillary Neoplasms surgery, Maxillofacial Abnormalities surgery, and Models, Anatomic

Purpose: To validate a protocol for creating virtual models to be used in the construction of solid prototypes useful for the planning-simulation of maxillo-facial surgery, in particular for very complex anatomic and pathologic problems. To optimize communications between the radiology, engineering and surgical laboratories.
Methods and Materials: We studied 16 patients with different clinical problems of the maxillo-facial district. Exams were performed with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and single slice computed tomography (SDCT) with axial scans and collimation of 0.5-2 mm, and reconstruction interval of 1 mm. Subsequently we performed 2D multiplanar reconstructions and 3D volume-rendering reconstructions. We exported the DICOM images to the engineering laboratory, to recognize and isolate the bony structures by software. With these data the solid prototypes were generated using stereolitography. To date, surgery has been preformed on 12 patients after simulation of the procedure on the stereolithographyc model.
Results: The solid prototypes constructed in the difficult cases were sufficiently detailed despite problems related to the artefacts generated by dental fillings an d prostheses. In the remaining cases the MPR/3D images were sufficiently detailed for surgical planning. The surgical results were excellent in all patients who underwent surgery, and the surgeons were satisfied with the improvement in quality and the reduction in time required for the procedure.
Conclusions: MDCT enables rapid prototyping using solid replication, which was very helpful in maxillo-facial surgery, despite problems related to artifacts due to dental fillings and prosthesis within the acquisition field; solutions for this problem are work in progress. The protocol used for communication between the different laboratories was valid and reproducible.

responsive envelops, nature role models, experimental construction systems, prototyping, Architecture, and NA1-9428

This paper aims at investigating the possibility to design responsive envelopes starting from the role models of nature. Nature adopts very interesting role models depending on external stimuli and in relation to its own form. For example, the tactical, tropical and nastic movements respond to stimuli like humidity, sun and heat. In Architecture, the ability to develop responsive envelopes arises from the need to modulate the performance of the first filter between inside and outside with dynamic solutions that can be activated depending on people, climatic changes or the presence of particular conditions. The ability to modulate performance goes in the direction of more and more sustainable solutions that can reduce the amount of material and at the same time adapt to the environmental context in which they are positioned. Studying nature models can develop innovative technical solutions while expanding the designer’s know-how, thanks to computational design techniques, which help to mathematically inform the design of solutions and simulate their behaviour. An experimental prototype carried out at the ABC Department of the Polytechnic of Milano University, ACTLAB Research Unit, will show the realization of a responsive pneumatic envelope studied from the models of nature and produced either with additive and forming techniques.

complex-shaped architectures, digital modeling, physical modeling, rapid prototyping, project control, Architecture, NA1-9428, Architectural drawing and design, and NA2695-2793

La costruzione dell’architettura è preceduta, sempre più spesso, dalla costruzione del suo modello fisico e ciò dipende dalla complessità dalle forme geometriche che caratterizzano il progetto e dalla evoluzione delle tecniche di produzione dei modelli fisici. Per le geometrie dell’architettura contemporanea, molto variabili nel loro sviluppo tridimensionale, la rappresentazione sullo schermo piatto del computer risulta spesso insufficiente mentre il ricorso al loro modello fisico permette di cogliere a colpo d’occhio l’insieme del progetto e di verificarne meglio le forme. La realizzazione del modello comporta trasformazioni sostanziali del progetto architettonico con l’applicazione di nuove costruzioni geometriche del modello, del tutto peculiari, basate su un processo di estrema semplificazione delle forme. Si vuole qui documentare il lavoro didattico sviluppato nel corso di “Modellazione 3d”.

co-design, design thinking, material, mediation, participatory workshops, and Language and Literature

When language is a barrier to constructing knowledge, visualising and prototyping can facilitate communication internally with one’s self, externally with others, and speculatively with the future. The cognitive effects of the making process help participants express tacit knowledge, and surface assumptions that may have otherwise gone unnoticed and unchallenged. Within design thinking workshops, the collaborative act of hands-on making helps mediate power dynamics and contributes to social learning. As ideas are explored, prototyping supports a speculative discussion about possible and preferable futures. This collaborative process of shared meaning-making helps give agency to previously excluded voices, such as youth and minorities, and has implications for socially inclusive practices. These ideas are discussed and illustrated verbally and visually.

speculative design, augmented reality, future studies, collective driven, environment centred, Architecture, NA1-9428, Architectural drawing and design, and NA2695-2793

In a context of disruptive innovation Design takes on new roles, which place it in a different position compared to the practices of the last decade.Speculative Design underlines the importance of designing futuristic scenarios, users and artefacts, starting from the phenomena and innovations taking place in the present, with the aim of nurturing critical thinking and shared knowledge about these.Digital innovations related to augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies are becoming one of the ideal tool which involves viewers in the process of maturation.The aim of this paper is to investigate new relationships between innovation, Design and users, through the analysis of a case study.The aims and objectives of the aforementioned case study fully follow the methodology of speculative Design, addressing the theme of the Post Human, of the possible evolutions of the human genre, influenced by technologies which are becoming pervasive and efficient, and with mega-trends that are significantly changing lifestyles and the relationships with the rest of living beings and ecosystems.Through the prototyping and the creation of an app, it was possible to accompany the spectators on a trans-media journey supported by augmented reality technology, used to involve viewers in the designed path and to make different contents of the exhibition usable, turning the users into actors who actively take part in the exhibition.The aim of the paper is to sum up a model useful to address both the practical and the didactic fields of application, through the use of digital and physical tool, following the concepts and the mindsets which lie behind speculative Design approach.

BIM, digital fabrication, file to factory, lean production, off-site manufacturing, Architecture, and NA1-9428

This paper aims to investigate the possibilities offered by the design and production paradigms of Industry 4.0 in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction industry, through the coordination between systems for the integrated management of the design process (Building Information Modeling) and rapid prototyping tools (Computer-Aided Manufacturing). Is hereby proposed an interpretation of the meaning that an industrial transformation of the AEC industry takes over for the Architectural design, simulating a methodology in a BIM environment for the design of residential buildings in Cold-Formed Steel with drywall envelopes, exploiting the potential of digital manufacturing and computational design advanced tools.

Hip Joint diagnostic imaging, Humans, Mandible diagnostic imaging, Software, Tomography, X-Ray Computed instrumentation, Tomography, X-Ray Computed statistics numerical data, Models, Anatomic, and Tomography, X-Ray Computed methods

The visual three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of CT findings has been used since the Seventies to design and plan complex surgical procedures. The availability of such models and the development of computer science have permitted, since the mid-Eighties, the medical use of rapid prototyping for anatomical modelling. We studied the technical steps of CT data processing for rapid prototyping and the dimensional and structural accuracy of replicas of skeletal components relative to the originals. A dried mandible and an arthrotic hip joint were compared with their stereolithographic replicas using the measurements made on CT images. The 3D graphic models were processed with a commercially available software and replicated with an SLA 250 stereolithographer (3D System Inc, Valencia CA, USA). Satisfactory morphologic agreement was found between the original and its replica. The mandibular replica exhibited dimensional errors ranging 0 to 4.03%, z-axis shortening and an increase in gonial angle, but with a reliable reproduction of details. The hip replica exhibited dimensional errors ranging .2% to 8.53%; it appeared to be less affected than the mandibular replica by geometrical distortion but it was less accurate in the reproduction of cancellous bone and arthrosis. The accuracy of the solid replicas depends, in the different manufacturing steps, on several factors, namely: during data acquisition, the accuracy and suitability of original data, depending in turn on equipment and examination parameters--especially the algorithm, acquisition time, gantry tilt and slice thickness; image thresholding and manipulation procedures during graphic model creation; data transfer, creation of the necessary supports and replica finishing during manufacturing; residual polymerization affected by environmental agents and preservation conditions during maintenance.

Architectural engineering. Structural engineering of buildings and TH845-895

Improvement of the energy performance of innovative building component (patented by the authors) for façades and roofs able to reduce building energy consumption and to produce clean electricity from the sun. Design optimization of sub-components used to dry assemble translucent multifunctional panels made of precast and pre-stressed innovative glass blocks integrated with 3rd-generation PV technology. Adaptation of the initial configuration of the component to simplify the production process, both in the prototyping and commercialization phases as well as to speed up the assembling operations for a reduction of construction times and costs.

Surfaces and Materials, lo Squaderno No. 48, Architecture, NA1-9428, Aesthetics of cities. City planning and beautifying, NA9000-9428, Social Sciences, Sociology (General), and HM401-1281

Materials appear to be the stuff architects day-dream about, experiment and work with in architecture studios, building sites, prototyping labs. In both design and make, materials’ specifications, their properties and performance are always an issue of much consideration that requires solid technical knowledge and thoughtful decisions. But what if materials were to be thought neither as inert entities that architects manipulate for their clients to use and check in post-occupancy evaluations, nor just as matter whose properties are to be tamed to appease architectural obsessions and then offered to colleagues (and theorists) for contemplation?

servizi di monitoraggio, servizi satellitari, radiolocalizzazione, gnss, egnos, galileo, downstream, artek, droni, monitoraggio ambientale, Archaeology, and CC1-960

ASI, the Italian Space Agency, is engaged with various national, European and international initiatives, in the transfer of technology and in the development of the downstream sector of applications based on satellite services such as Galileo and Copernicus. ArTeK is one of the projects funded by ASI within the ESA program "Business Applications", ESA's specific programme that promotes initiatives for the study, experimentation and prototyping of innovative services enabled by the various satellite services, today available such as earth observation, navigation and satellite telecommunications.

technological innovation, 3D printing, health and safety at workplace, risk prevention and management, precautionary principle., Law, Labor systems, and HD4861-4895

This paper deals with the use of additive manifacturing and rapid prototyping techniques at the workplace, with a specific focus on three-dimensional printers.After a brief discussion of the opportunities and advantages of this types of technologies, the article considers the risks associated with new technologies and the answers that the law provides for the protection of the health and safety of workers.Through the analysis of case law and theoretical reflection on the point, the Author tries to apply the precautionary principle - as set out in international sources, in the art. 174 of TFEU and in a large number of measures taken at the national level - in order to envisage future scenarios for digital fabrication contexts.In particular, the A. tries to identify benchmarks and rules of conduct to be adopted by companies and school labs (especially after the entry into force of Laws. 128/2013 and 107/2015), waiting for scientific studies on the subject confirm or refute the hazards of substances and procedures used to print in three dimensions.

digitalizzazione 3d, laser scanner, fotogrammetria, mosaico, beni culturali, stampa 3d, restauro., Archaeology, and CC1-960

The new technologies related to geomatics and informatics now offer significant applicative potentiality for the documentation of cultural heritage, both in terms of data acquisition and for all representation, dissemination and communication stages .The paper shows an application of high resolution laser scanning survey, with photogrammetry data integration, in order to create a digital 3D model of a portion of a Byzantine mosaic that is later reproduced by rapid prototyping technology.

Conceptual design, models, prototypes, functional morphology, biomimetic devices, installations, Management information systems, T58.6-58.62, Information technology, and T58.5-58.64

This paper presents some results of an ongoing interdisciplinary research about models and prototypes of biomimetic devices via installations and the focus of this paper is to outline this research role in architectural purposes as it perpasses the cultural and heritage contexts by being a way of understanding and living in the world as well as taking place in the world as devices or environments that pass on to future generations to use, learn from and be inspired by. Both the theoretical and the experimental work done so far point out that installations built with association of laser cutting and rapid prototyping techniques might be on the best feasible ways for developing and testing new technologies involved in biomimetic devices to architectural purposes that put both tectonics and nature as their central theme.

Dental Models, Dentistry methods, Denture Design instrumentation, Denture Design methods, Humans, Imaging, Three-Dimensional instrumentation, Orthodontic Appliance Design instrumentation, Computer Simulation, Imaging, Three-Dimensional methods, Orthodontic Appliance Design methods, and Orthodontics methods

Quality of service, in terms of improvement in patient satisfaction, is an increasingly important objective in all medical fields, and is especially imperative in orthodontics due to the high numbers of patients treated. Information technology can provide a meaningful contribution to bettering treatment processes, and we maintain that systems such as CAD, CAM and CAE, although initially conceived for industrial purposes, should be evaluated, studied and customized with a view to use in medicine. The present study aims to evaluate Reverse Engineering (RE) and Rapid Prototyping (RP) in order to define an ideal chain of advanced technological solutions to support the critical processes of orthodontic activity.

restauro, fotogrammetria, realtà aumentata, stampa 3d, Archaeology, and CC1-960

Inside the new reality of Scanlab, in the city of Palermo, specialized in innovative sectors like 3D printing and rapid prototyping, ScanArt is born, a macro project entirely dedicated to the study and safeguard of cultural heritage. Using new technologies of tridimensional remarking and augmented reality applications, the group is able to offer tecnological services aimed at improving the common instruments bound to the to the world of arts and at the fruition and divulgation of it.

Science (General) and Q1-390

This work reports on the experimental analysis of light scattering by aggregates with merging monomers. For such complex shape particles, scaled targets can be built using a rapid prototyping technique (stereo lithography). Our microwave scattering device provides the amplitude and phase of elements of the amplitude scattering matrix. Assessment of the approximate codes can thus be carried out on an experimental basis. Sample results for the bi-sphere and a 74 sphere aggregate are presented and discussed.