Autodesk and LLNL reps seal their collaborative deal. Will anything come of it?
According to Autodesk, through this joint research project, Lawrence Livermore researchers will study how custom metamaterials can be combined with additive manufacturing techniques to build products with properties that were, until now, impossible to produce.
To kick-start this new venture, Lawrence Livermore and Autodesk have agreed that protective helmets, like the one worn while riding a bike, should be their first priority. To that end, Lawrence Livermore researchers have intimated that if their project is a success, a number of important product developments could be generated by their research. Principal among these are breakthroughs in “anatomically fitted equipment,” such as body armor (which is difficult to wear) and prosthetics (which have never been comfortable).
While designing a new protective helmet might seem a bit mundane for such a high-tech joint venture, Lawrence Livermore scientists have upped the ante by insisting that the helmet’s geometry is to be designed by a generative algorithm.
Generative algorithms (and for that matter, generative design) are computer programs that can calculate a design tens of thousands of times to create structures that are optimized for user-defined criteria.
If executed correctly, generative design can lead to novel design architectures and strategies that even the cleverest engineers may not have conceived.
With that said, it’s plain to see that Lawrence Livermore’s latest initiative sounds interesting on paper (it’s loaded with high-tech buzzwords), but is it actually transformative?
Let’s unpack that a bit.
Metamaterial do amazing things. This one makes objects invisible (for some wavelengths).
Over the past decade and a half, metamaterials have been one of the most wondrous discoveries in science. With their ability to exhibit properties that are foreign to nature, they represent a triumph of engineering and science. However, even today, these materials are mostly experimental. So, that begs the question, how will Lawrence Livermore engineers build metamaterials that are immediately useful for a product?
The answer, unfortunately, is unclear.
Sure, I can speculate that metamaterials could be built into a helmet to spread the impact force of a collision by way of some quick-reacting nano-mechanical structure, but in all honesty, I have no idea what Lawrence Livermore engineers are dreaming up.
Second, Lawrence Livermore wants to apply the idea of generative design to their helmet design.
Unlike metamaterials, generative design has seen a plethora of its products make it out of the lab. Whether it be architecture, aerospace, or even bike design, generative algorithms have been used to slash weight, increase strength and deliver stunning, sometimes even garish, aesthetics.
What a beam looks like after a generative algorithm has gone to work on it.
But ahh, Lawrence Livermore is in luck. There just so happens to be a technology that makes generative algorithms a sensible design strategy. That technology’s name is additive manufacturing.
Of all of the technologies involved in this project, additive manufacturing might be the most crucial. Without additive manufacturing it’s likely that most of the generative design in the world never make it beyond the concept phase.
Though I’m not certain, my intuition also tells me that the same is true for whatever metamaterial will be developed and employed in Lawrence Livermore’s helmet. I mean, how will researchers design a material that has a mechanical component (if in fact that’s what they’re thinking up) if they can have it printed or woven (admittedly, not an additive manufacturing strategy in the purist sense)?
Fortunately though, additive manufacturing is also the most proven technology propelling the Autodesk, Lawrence Livermore study. It’s also likely that it’s the reason that the entire idea is moving forward.
Now, I’ve only got one final question, will this endeavor amount to anything?
Given the expertise assembled at Lawrence Livermore, its highly-unlikely that nothing will come of this project, but even if the worst does occur, I think there’s still a good deal of benefit wrapped up in this experiment.
Today, the smartest guys and gals in the room are brainstorming how to transform manufacturing. And as with this project, everyone is looking for the next big thing in advanced manufacturing. But, as you’re well aware, breakthrough technologies and techniques don’t arrive in perfect form. In fact, in most cases, they take decades to develop and sometimes they’re even protected as classified trade secrets.
So, it seems that that regardless of the outcome, Lawrence Livermore’s research will either prove a way forward, or close off an avenue. That’s exciting stuff. What’s more, since a government lab is developing it, the resulting technology should be open to any manufacturer.
That’s good news, whichever way this wild idea turns.