Prototypes
Wasps Skulls Bugs
Wasps
Wasps were the first generation of prototypes fabricated with a complete exoskeleton. The aim was to explore the possibilities and limitations of the building system.
Overall the prototype was successful, but it was evident that there were structural problems within the model. A new design approach was needed, one with improved patterning, that would resolve the problems with weight and structural stability.
Skulls
The second generation exoskeleton was a hybrid assembly of the poplojik snap system, combined with an arrangement of interconnecting tabs along the edges of the polypropylene. It suited forming the convoluted surface of the skull.
The flat-to-3D assembly of the skull was achieved using only 5 component parts. In this design, all the snap connections are integral to the components, and a series of connection tabs form an efficient fastening solution along structural seams. The prototype was successful, and established that it would be possible to fabricate a complete human skeleton.
Bugs
A third generation exoskeleton was fabricated using thin gauge, lightweight polypropylene, that also showed structural stability.
A Longhorn Beetle was used as the model subject. With it’s characteristic elongated, somewhat cylindrical body, and antennae more than half as long as the body.
20 interlocking components were assembled to form the model. Each constituent part was engineered to interlock with the next. The complexity of the components far exceeded all other prototype models. Here the construction system was pushed to its limits.