MechCircuit: Augmenting Laser-Cut Objects with Integrated Electronics, Mechanical Structures and Magnets

Abstract

Laser cutting revolutionizes the creation of personal-fabricated prototypes. These objects can have transformable properties by adopting different materials and be interactive by integrating electronic circuits. However, circuits in laser-cut objects always have limited movements, which refrains laser cutting from achieving interactive prototypes with more complex movable functions like mechanisms. We propose MechCircuit, a design and fabrication pipeline for making mechanical-electronical objects with laser cutting. We leverage the neodymium magnet’s natures of magnetism and conductivity to integrate electronics and mechanical structure joints into prototypes. We conduct the evaluation to explore technological parameters and assess the practical feasibility of the fabrication pipeline. And we organized a user-observing workshop for non-expert users. Through the outcoming prototypes, the result demonstrates the feasibility of MechCircuit as a useful and inspiring prototyping method.