Owl Automata: Lasercutting in Motion (2015)

Software: Adobe Illustrator
Techniques: Lasercutting, prototype assembly, wood finishing

background/motivation

My first foray with Illustrator and the laser cutter, and rapid prototyping in general, the owl project holds a special place in my heart. I went in knowing basically nothing about design and lasercutting. It's also featured in a TEDTalk by my professor about the value of rapid prototyping in the design process. I’ve come a long way from this first project, but the skills I began cultivating here continue to help me in my career today.

Lessons learned here are huge and equally varied: hard skills include creating/modifying 2D CAD, finishing/staining wood, and operating a lasercutter. But in this case, I think the soft skills were far more valuable: rapid prototyping, failing early/often, tolerancing and assembly practices, and the troubleshooting skills that come along with converting something from a design into reality.

It’s tempting to only show the polished results, but I’ve included a gallery of the well-lit glamour shots as well as the work-in-progress ones.