Design and Fabrication of Hybrid Functional Identities for Mechanical Elements
Name
3706599.3707635.pdf
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2.06 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c14582a2b02c2b216a47fa4d3b12c056
Author(s)
AlAlawi, Marwa
Date Issued
April 25, 2025
Publisher
ACM|Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Citation
Marwa AlAlawi. 2025. Design and Fabrication of Hybrid Functional Identities for Mechanical Elements. In Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '25). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 829, 1–5.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
My PhD research explores the simultaneous integration of mechanical and electrical functionalities in mechanical components such as gears, linkages, and springs, which I define as "hybrid functional identities." The focus is on transforming these components into non-intrusive sensors and active elements that maintain structural integrity while providing electrical capabilities like sensing, energy harvesting, and communication. I establish a framework for hybrid functional identities by examining common mechanical elements and their associated motions—rotational, linear, and reciprocal—along with force-based interactions like stretching, compression, and torsion. This analysis identifies essential electrical functionalities that complement these mechanical behaviors. Building on this foundation, I investigate modular mechanical building blocks that support diverse mechanical and electrical interaction primitives using a unified geometric structure. Ultimately, I aim to create an interconnected system where hybrid mechanical-electrical components function autonomously and communicate through an embedded wireless network.
Description
CHI EA ’25, Yokohama, Japan
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3707635
