Innovative Digital Fabrication: 4D Printed Dress Made With Kinematics

Nervous System in this case at least, is not a human body classification or the name of a punk band, although the moniker might apply to both at one time or other. It is an innovative, cutting-edge design company specializing in digital fabrication that creates wonderful things, including table-top lighting, one-of-a-kind jigsaw puzzles and a line of jewelry with more than 140 diverse designs, consisting of bangles, brooches, necklaces and rings. These pieces are inspired by phenomena found in the natural world and/or patterns originating in nature.

The Movable Dress: Source:design-milk.com

In the words of Jessica Rosenkranz, Nervous System co-creator:

"Everything starts with us writing some sort of computer program or code and that program either generates a pattern on its own, or with some amount of interaction from us.  Once a pattern is approved, it's either 3-D printed, laser cut or photo-chemically etched onto materials like nylon or stainless steel and finished by hand..."

Movable Dress- Front View: Siurce: Design-milk.com

Kinematics and 4-D Printing

The latest offering by Nervous System creators (Jessica Rosenkrantz and Louis Rosenberg) is a dress made with kinematics, a branch of classic mechanics that concern the  pure motion of points, objects and groups of objects regardless of the masses or forces involved. This is their  4-D printing system.

Nervous System is a generative design studio that functions at the intersection of science, art and technology. Drawing inspiration from natural phenomena, they create computer simulations to generate designs and use digtal fabrication to create unusual products.

The creators of the 4-D Movable Printed Dress

The two designers met in 2004 when they were both undergraduates at MIT. They share a love and fascination for geek culture. Their studio is -one-of-a-kind and it is the magical place where science, art and technology meet. Utlizing computer simulation to generate designs and digital fabrication for clothing and products is a unique, innovative, fascinating and futuristic process.

The Movable Dress- Full View: Source: Smashgreader.com

The Movable Dress

The movable  dress is the latest entity from the Nervous System studio workshop. It is comprised of many interlocking pieces that via a 3-D printer became one single folded piece, requiring no assembly. The process was completed at Shapeways in New York, which is one of the world's first full service  3-D printing factories. Founded in 2007 in the Netehrlands, this factory is a subsidiary of Phillips Electronics. Better put, it is an on-demand, futuristic manufacturing service. The Museum of Modern Art has acquired both the software and the dress and has added them to their permanent collection.

The future of Kinematic and the Movable Dress

Nervous System's application of kinematics  is still new and somewhat experimental, but things do look promising for both the process and two young, brilliant designers who have dared to think outside that proverbial, conventional  box.

Final thoughts on geekiness: 

 It might look like I'm doing nothing, but on the cellular level, I am actually quite busy. ~ Pinteest.com