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Title: Design and Prototyping Information Tools for High Performance IPRO Teams, IPRO 373
Creator: Newman, Catherine, Roche, Jacqueline, Oluwagembi, Williams, Liu, Janet, Abu Amara, Lama, Sahel, Adam, Fotso, Kevin, Bendas, Paul, Posch, Matthew, Rajgor, Yash, Salas, Raul
Date: 2012-06-15, 2012-07
Description: The purpose of this IPRO project is to develop a single, consolidated, interactive information resource for IPRO teams that replaces...
Show moreThe purpose of this IPRO project is to develop a single, consolidated, interactive information resource for IPRO teams that replaces information currently found at the IPRO web site.
Sponsorship: IPRO Office
Project plan for IPRO 373: Design and Prototyping Information Tools for High Performance IPRO Teams, the summer 2012 semester
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Title: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF DATAPATH CIRCUITS USING MULTI-GATE TRANSISTORS
Creator: Garcia Martin, Martin
Date: 2015, 2015-07
Description: Multi-Gate Field-E ect Transistors are transistors with more than one gate that allows continuation of Moore's Law and performance increases...
Show moreMulti-Gate Field-E ect Transistors are transistors with more than one gate that allows continuation of Moore's Law and performance increases for CMOS tran- sistors. Introduction of multi-gate devices has been a turning point for the semi- conductor industry in facilitating transition from planar to 3D structures. Intel rst introduced commercial products using 3D structures (called Tri-Gate transistors) in late 2011 with Ivy Bridge CPUs using 22nm processes. Signi cant performance gains have been reported; i.e., 37% performance increase at low voltage and 50% power reduction. Multi-gate transistors based on 3D structures can vary greatly in their con guration and architectures leading to ambiguity in their design. It is necessary to investigate the performance of datapath circuits when multi-gate and independent- gate devices replace the conventional planar transistors. Therefore, key objective of this work has been to analyze these transistors' performance and to design new dat- apath circuits to leverage the inherent qualities of multi-gate transistor structures. Multiple-gate devices can be modeled using the BSIM-CMG (Common Multi- Gate) and BSIM-IMG (Independent Multi-Gate) compact models from University of Berkeley Device Group. In this research, both device types have been characterized for a variety of parameters to study their basic properties, functionality and to build a foundation for improved circuit designs. In particular, BSIM-CMG devices have been compared with CMOS planar technology demonstrating signi cant advantages in all design metrics, meanwhile the BSIM-IMG have been used to design new gates and improve datapath designs. In the rst part of this study, essential logic gates, i.e. Inverter, NAND and NOR, have been implemented using BSIM-CMG devices. After being analyzed and compared with the CMOS technology, a 32% reduction on dynamic power consump- tion and 82% reduction for the leakage current has been obtained. For a compre-hensive look on full adder designs, several novel adder architectures have been im- plemented including ultra low power and minimum number of transistor (10T) de- signs. The analysis of these implementations shows 54% dynamic power reduction, 98% static current reduction and 26% delay reduction. These results lead to a 68% improvement on the Power-Delay product comparing with the 32nm CMOS planar technology. In order to investigate dynamic logic circuits with multi-gate transistors, two recent dynamic circuit techniques have been implemented with novel enhancements to reduce the leakage current. Data Driven Dynamic Logic (D3L) and Split-Path Data Driven Dynamic Logic (SPD3L) have been used to analyze the dynamic logic circuits resulting in 11% reduced dynamic power, 52% reduced leakage current and 33% reduced delay. Second part of this study deals with the independent gate devices. Using the BSIM-IMG model, new XOR/XNOR logic gate designs are introduced for im- plementing novel low-power adders. With these new adder architectures, the average improvement on Dynamic power is an 8% and the designs are 6% faster. Furthermore, a new design technique is proposed combining the possible modes (Short Gate-SG, Low-Power-LP, Independent Gate-IG) that the BSIM-IMG provides. Using this novel mixed design, the Power-Delay product is improved on average 7.2% and 54%, com- pared to the Short-Gate (SG) and Low-Power (LP) modes, respectively. The properties of the BSIM-IMG logic have been applied to improve the Dy- namic logic designs as well. The Domino and SPD3L design techniques have been implemented and enhancements such as merging the pull-up transistors have been proposed for sleep and power-gating techniques. With these enhancements, the Dy- namic power is reduced 13% in average and the designs are 18% faster. The trade-o is an increase on leakage current of 8%. Another major contribution of the work has been the development of shell script les for generating a custom toolbox for datapath designs with multi-gate and independent-gate transistors.
Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, July 2015
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Title: THE LATIN AMERICAN EXPORT: IMPLEMENTING LATIN AMERICAN URBAN STRATEGIES TO REDEVELOP AND RECONSTRUCT BRONZEVILLE
Creator: Saldaña Perales, Alejandro
Date: 2018
Description: The district and neighborhood of Bronzeville, located in the Near South Side of Chicago, suffers from crime, unemployment, abandonment, and...
Show moreThe district and neighborhood of Bronzeville, located in the Near South Side of Chicago, suffers from crime, unemployment, abandonment, and urban decay; more so than many of its metropolitan peers such as New York City, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.In Latin America, multidisciplinary operations and strategies focused on the investment in public spaces, mobility, and public assets have been successful in transforming decaying neighborhoods and redeveloping slums and blighted areas turning them into vibrant communities.Contextualizing and abstracting such strategies has the potential to import such ideas into new urban contexts; in this case, the United States of America, and to be implemented over the decaying North American urban fabric.
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Title: Foregrounding Temporality to Design with Emerging Futures
Creator: Heidaripour, Maryam
Date: 2020
Description: The rhetoric of today’s economy has framed entrepreneurship as a key contributor to inventing the future, which raises questions about who is...
Show moreThe rhetoric of today’s economy has framed entrepreneurship as a key contributor to inventing the future, which raises questions about who is counted as an insider, how the future is being designed, and for whom. The concentration of future-making has too long been in the hands of a few, given future’s tremendous impact on the many. This dissertation joins the growing body of scholarly explorations on channeling the design capacity to transition toward a future with a plural world system, where the economy offers a multiplicity of possibilities. Central to this exploration is to rethink how shaping futures might be done differently, with different people, and in different forms.By incorporating feminist temporality, I challenge the established mode of design investigation. My empirical chapters demonstrate the ways in which sharpening our temporal sensitivity could impact what we study, how we study it, and what we can find. In particular, I rearrange the power dynamics in design activities by opening up the position of knower to the emerging collectives. I then introduce the concept of designing a time-space yet to come that makes you wonder—an open invitation to rethink who we are and what we want to become.While it remains to be seen whether this contribution will have a meaningful impact on design knowledge, I argue that it makes a solid case for incorporating feminism in design. Feminist theory offers the theoretical underpinning for ontological reframing of design and helps us understand what other forms of design practice are emerging in this era of increasing complexity. I conclude with my take on an emerging design practice where the fundamental element of design is to enable other ways of knowing to inquire about what they truly want to become.
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Title: Sustainable Solutions in Complex Spaces of Innovation
Creator: Nogueira, André Martins
Date: 2019
Description: Even though the interconnectivity between human activities and the integrity of ecological systems has long been recognized, the development...
Show moreEven though the interconnectivity between human activities and the integrity of ecological systems has long been recognized, the development of design practices that account for such interconnectivity can be considered relatively new. As such, contemporary institutions and their arrangements were not designed accordingly to their potential to promote sustainable and equitable flows of different types of resources; they lack the capability and structure to operate in the speed and scale in which humans are dynamically interacting with themselves, and with the natural environment. As the world has passed the 7.5 billion mark, such a condition is generating unintended socio-ecological-technical consequences being empowered by the fast-changing technology industry. New lenses and models for understanding the connectivity of social, ecological and technical systems underlying contemporary institutional arrangements are required to advance expertise in redirecting the flow of different types of resources for the sustainability of these systems. However, how humans perceive systems is largely framed by who is included in the discussion and the experiences and interests that they bring to bear. Even though there will always be a discrepancy between what is perceived, and the actual system at play, there are greater opportunities to expand such perception by drawing more deeply on systems thinking and the notion of resources. This dissertation advances design knowledge in the pursuit of bridging the gap between theoretical discourses and the pragmatism necessary to intervene socio-ecological-technical dynamics by exploring how designers might embed principles of sustainability into choice-making processes for innovation, and it proposes a new approach through which designers can advance their practices in enabling more sustainable flows of resources.
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Title: Scale and Scope Economies Drive Asymmetric Competition in Tech Industries
Creator: Ryali, Balajirao
Date: 2020
Description: This research is motivated by my industry experience of working with small manufacturers in the high technology industry market space and ...
Show moreThis research is motivated by my industry experience of working with small manufacturers in the high technology industry market space and large manufacturers in the telecom and healthcare industry market spaces. In these industries, small manufacturers thrive on specialization and focus on breakthrough innovation to maintain product differentiation and premium positioning and to sustain competition. In contrast, large manufacturers enjoy the benefits of economies of scale that provide cost efficiencies and use price as major differentiating factor. This research work endeavors to model asymmetric competition that emerges endogenously in industries where scale and scope economies interact to force firms to adopt specialized strategies and address the below research questions:1. How does the cost structure shaped by scope and scale economies in engineering, sales and service drive asymmetric product line choices?2. What channel coordination problems arise in this context?3. How can manufacturers redesign their operating mechanism and sales force to optimize the channel?
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Title: Drawing on Darwinism: Rewriting the Origin of Louis Sullivan's Idea
Creator: Frey, Syan
Date: 2021
Description: To observe that the unique architectural ornaments that make up the body of work of Louis Henri Sullivan (1856-1924) emulate nature is to...
Show moreTo observe that the unique architectural ornaments that make up the body of work of Louis Henri Sullivan (1856-1924) emulate nature is to state a reality so obvious that it is both pedantic and droll. To use the double entendre that those natural forms drew on Darwinism, however, is to make several more specific claims. First, it can be credibly established that the system of architectural ornament that was the primary contribution of Louis Sullivan to the discipline of architecture was directly inspired by Sullivan’s synthesis of the thesis of natural selection contained within the pages of Asa Gray’s botanical manual. Second, the circumstances of that moment of synthesis reveal that the reason for Sullivan’s Darwinism was not merely the desire to emulate nature, but rather to signify the end of faith. Finally, Sullivan’s synthesis of various Darwinisms drew not only on the thesis for his own artistic inspiration, he drew on the substance of Darwin’s arguments to formulate a secular theory of the nature of inspiration and the technique of design. In the years following, this theory has become the primary technique by which design is taught.Louis’ unique education, which was tied to Darwinism from the very beginning, gave him an unusual perspective on the challenges of architectural design in the industrial age. The economic circumstances of his life as a first-generation immigrant exposed him to just the right education to lead him to explore evolutionary science as the inspiration for design. To be clear, the content of the thesis of natural selection was entirely irrelevant to the theory and practice of architecture in the nineteenth century. Yet by the end of the century the broad consensus among architects, historians, and theorists alike was that there was a, “close and causal relationship,” between Darwinism and modern architecture. Sullivan’s theory drew on Darwinian ideas to dismiss theological styles as empty formalisms, reveal the racism of ethnographic accounts for architectural forms, and argue for the evolution of an American Architecture, liberated from its colonialist origins. The context within which that shift occurred is significant. The justification for nearly every work of architecture in human history prior to the middle of the nineteenth century was some form of god. Mid-nineteenth century architecture in the United States was composed of a variety of regional ethnic styles intended to represent the ethnic origins, religious affiliations, moral inclinations, and nationalist allegiances of an array of displaced immigrant communities. The Civil War laid bare the reality that such ethnic styles represented a segregationist and racialized idea of the modern world. Over the course of the late nineteenth century, the profession of architecture was forced to abandon theological justifications for the practice of architecture as scientifically invalid, morally corrupt, and motivated by racism. This was Sullivan’s full idea: Put instinct before reason in priority, and engage in the iterative analysis of various instincts about the situation. Observe the patterns that emerge. Explore those instincts, until you find that your patterns merge with universal patterns. Do not fear error, as it makes the work alive. The capacity to capture that living essence is in all of us, individually and collectively, not some external force. The most-right instincts are ones in which the resulting form is a demonstration of its function. To understand what Sullivan meant with this we must see it as a Darwinian idea. Instinct is an animal property, a capacity which we share with other species. For Darwin, this sharing of instinct is essential for interspecies empathy. The antithesis of instinct is reason, which Sullivan describes as secondary. Reason is cold and lifeless, but also correct. True reason, Sullivan claims, is learned by experiment, and example. The greatest art speaks not just to our reason, but to our instinct. This, then is the task of the designer – to temper instinct with reasoned evaluation. Sullivan argues that it begins with an intuition, an idea he drew from Darwin’s Descent of Man.
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Title: Research through Provocation: A Structured Process to Design New Information Technologies
Creator: Rivera Gomez, Jaime Alejandro
Date: 2023
Description: This doctoral research presents a structured way to generate provocative prototypes, called provotypes, to design new information technologies...
Show moreThis doctoral research presents a structured way to generate provocative prototypes, called provotypes, to design new information technologies. Emphasizing the exploration of alternative interaction models beyond the current archetypes, this study considers emerging complexities about our relationship with technology in the long term to incorporate knowledge from science models in the early stages of the project when cross-disciplinary consensus is required. Thus, avoiding personal biases that are not aligned with how people use technology.The methodology analyzes six case studies using provotypes in multiple contexts, including academic research explorations, corporate innovation projects, and students applying the approach in educational settings. The research also involved a controlled experiment studying how different interactive configurations influence one's motivation to engage in positive behavior change. The results can be summarized in three main contributions: A provocation model to influence the shared meaning inside cross-functional teams, a tool to create provocations exploring alternative interaction models, and finally, the heuristics of provotyping to guide researchers and designers to generate early low fidelity prototyping.
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Title: The Studio Practice for Sustainable (Craft) Production
Creator: Werdhaningsih, Hendriana
Date: 2022
Description: Craft market demand globally is rising. On the other hand, the domination of economic goals in craft production is threading the social system...
Show moreCraft market demand globally is rising. On the other hand, the domination of economic goals in craft production is threading the social system and the environment. Craft production facts do not represent the sustainable development principles that should be a central concept for this age. Design as practice and method had not yet correctly facilitated craft production to embrace the harmony of the social, environmental, and economic systems. Believing that studio is a core design practice, this research investigated studio practice through interviews, field research, and action research conducted in Indonesia and the US. It developed a model called Studio Practice for Sustainable (Craft) Production, the SP2 Model. The Model helps designers, the crafts community, and stakeholders ensure their role in the studio practice and determine their goals for sustainable development. The SP2 Model offers alternative practical solutions in craft production, contributes to polycentric discourse, and designs interventions in sustainable development models.
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Title: ARCHITECTURE FOR COLLABORATIVE CREATIVITY - SPACE WE-Q: SPACE INTELLIGENCE EMPOWERING CREATIVE WE CULTURE IN LEARNING-DRIVEN ENVIRONMENTS
Creator: Mor-Avi, Anat
Date: 2020
Description: Changes in societal culture, along with research on how we learn, challenge current architectural solutions. Education’s shifting paradigms...
Show moreChanges in societal culture, along with research on how we learn, challenge current architectural solutions. Education’s shifting paradigms align with these changes and move teaching strategies from teacher-centered to learner-centered, and from formal and passive, to informal and active modes. Another shift emphasizes collaboration and participatory creativity, which evolve the idea of the “collective,” or “We” versus “I” scenarios. In addition, studies show that creativity flourishes in specific contradictory performances. Supporting these reported changes, new knowledge, and paradigm shifts, this research studied how an active, adaptive architectural design approach might emerge into the learning and creative processes. Evidence indicates that “design and space do matter,” particularly in learning- and working-driven domains. Empirical research has been weak in addressing this understanding relative to architectural solutions, affordances, behaviors, and emotions, promoting collaborative creativity. This research aimed to investigate patterns of architectural affordances believing to impact and empower collaborative cultures and behaviors in learning environments (“WE CULTURE”), specifically motions and emotions. A Mixed-method research design was conducted, using two techniques: (a) a content analysis of awarded learning and working environments, and (b) a post-occupancy evaluation using ethnographic techniques to study the Kaplan Innovation Institute at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In an effort to provide an applied design study, a visual pattern language related to cultures of learning, environment behavior, and emotions was developed. The pattern language is the platform for designing intelligent spaces, SPACE WE-Q, promoting collaborative behaviors, and creativity through adaptive and behavior-based systems of active affordances. SPACE WE-Q offers a planned adaptive system for unplanned creative processes that emerges into learning and suggesting a new relationship between architecture and education, between architects and users, and between users and space.
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Title: Sensemaking for Power Asymmetries in Anti-Oppressive Design Practice
Creator: Meharry, Jessica J
Date: 2022
Description: Within professional design practice in capitalist market contexts, the goals of user-centered and human-centered design methodologies is to...
Show moreWithin professional design practice in capitalist market contexts, the goals of user-centered and human-centered design methodologies is to make algorithmically-based technologies understandable for users, satisfy customer needs and desires, and thereby increase corporate profitability. However, there is growing concern that the computational methods, data management, and business models that drive these technologies are leading to global asymmetries of knowledge, information, and power. The asymmetries of power generated by these designed interactions can be considered the kind of wicked problem that design seeks to address. Yet the dominant goals and methods of professional design practice limit their ability to design ethically within market contexts. These methodologies fail to adequately consider systemic context and power relations, potential for bias in algorithmic computation, and specific forms of systemic oppression. These gaps then lead to inadequate design solutions. This study explores these gaps in design methodologies that could be transferable to a range of professional (and non-professional) practices by looking at potential new levers within familiar design methods and their effectiveness as facilitating problem reframing towards equitable solutions. This dissertation advances knowledge in design by exploring how professional designers can better understand how to use sensemaking processes for salience of power asymmetries, algorithmic materiality, and systemic oppression. It proposes an anti-oppressive design framework that is rooted in a critically-informed design praxis. These orientations rethink and recreate design knowledge by helping professional designers shift the market-focused paradigm for which they are designing.
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Title: ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SERIOUS THERAPEUTIC GAMES FOR HEALTH
Creator: Damarjian, Alex G.
Date: 2022
Description: The conventional treatment of amblyopia in pediatric patients routinely experience low patient compliance due toits limitations. Therapeutic...
Show moreThe conventional treatment of amblyopia in pediatric patients routinely experience low patient compliance due toits limitations. Therapeutic games that utilize VR technology have the potential to open new avenues of medical research and treatment. A review of the prevailing literature shows the effectiveness of VR based games for therapeutic applications and the potential for increased patient compliance. A strong component of the literature is grounded in the medical humanities, specifically the way in which thought patterns, cognitive development, and perceived social rejection affect patient engagement and treatment efficacy. In order to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic games and streamline their development, a new framework has been created using existing research into therapeutic games. This framework ensures that all therapeutic games meet certain criteria within ethics, immersion, active learning, universal accessibility, aesthetics, and medicine. When applied to game development, specifically virtual and extended reality games, it can be used to transform existing therapeutic or diagnostic models into games operating as health care tools. The result is a more effective, lower cost, more accessible treatment option with increased patient compliance and greater overall outcomes.
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Title: The Feasibility of Double-Skin Façades to Provide Natural Ventilation in Tall Office Buildings
Creator: Kim, Yohan
Date: 2022
Description: Many tall office buildings (i.e., buildings of or taller than 656 ft (200 m)) are on the rise around the world. The energy efficiency and...
Show moreMany tall office buildings (i.e., buildings of or taller than 656 ft (200 m)) are on the rise around the world. The energy efficiency and healthy environment of tall office buildings has become an important concern, given the current environmental challenges and health considerations. Natural ventilation has proven to be an effective passive strategy in improving energy efficiency and providing healthy environments given environmental challenges. However, such a strategy has not been commonly adopted to tall office buildings that traditionally rely on single-skin façades (SSFs), due to the high wind pressure that creates excessive air velocities and occupant discomfort at upper floors. Double-skin façades (DSFs) can provide an opportunity to facilitate natural ventilation in tall office buildings, as the fundamental components such as the additional skin and openings create a buffer to regulate the direct impact of wind pressure and the airflow around the buildings. Wind-driven natural ventilation has not been fully studied in DSFs as most previous studies focused on the stack effect. Moreover, the studies assumed that the indoor spaces are mechanically ventilated without regard to airflow behavior between the air cavities and the indoor spaces. This study investigates the impact of modified multi-story type DSFs on indoor airflow in a 60-story, 780-foot (238 m) naturally ventilated tall office building under isothermal conditions. Therefore, the performance of wind effect related components was assessed based on the criteria (e.g., air velocity and airflow distribution), with respect to opening size, number of openings per floor, cavity depth, and cavity segmentation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was utilized to simulate outdoor airflow around the tall office building, and indoor airflow at various heights in case of various DSF configurations. Two sequential CFD simulations were carried out not only to reduce computational time, but also to comprehensively analyze the impact of DSFs responding to positive and negative wind pressures on indoor airflow behavior. The CFD simulation results indicate that the outer skin opening is the more influential parameter than the others on indoor airflow behavior. On the other hand, variations of inner skin opening size help improve the indoor airflow, with respect to the desired air velocity and distributions. Despite some air vortexes observed in the indoor spaces, cross ventilation can occur as positive pressure on the windward side and negative pressure on the other sides generate a productive pressure differential. The results also demonstrate that DSFs with smaller openings suitably reduce not only the impact of wind pressure, but also the concentration of high air velocity near the windows on the windward side, compared to single-skin façades. Further insight on indoor airflow behaviors depending on various DSF configurations leads to a better understanding of the DSF design strategies for effective natural ventilation in tall office buildings. This study aims to develop a performance-based DSF design guideline to assist architects in their design of DSF components in the early design stage.
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Title: Expanding the Magic Circle and the Self: Integrating Discursive Topics into Games
Creator: da Rosa Faller, Roberto
Date: 2020
Description: This study focuses on games for self-development and how they communicate ideas, challenge established assumptions, cause reflection, and...
Show moreThis study focuses on games for self-development and how they communicate ideas, challenge established assumptions, cause reflection, and provoke change. It explores the integration of discursive topics – specifically those perceived as difficult, political, philosophical, taboo, or controversial – into games, and how to manage player exposure to these topics through design while avoiding player disengagement to achieve self-development goals. Using a Research Through Design approach, this study was conducted in two phases. The first exploratory phase resulted in an analytical framework with four distinct lenses: engaging play experience; player’s emotional investment; the friction points of discursive topics; and, controlled exposure to the topic. During the second phase, this framework was used to analyze eight case studies and three prototypes. The resultant insights from analysis revealed five categories – topic depiction, emotional climate, emotional anchors, topic delivery, and exposure timing – that form the Discursive Topic Integration Framework for self-development. This framework offers a new theoretical perspective for design scholars and practicing designers about how to manipulate the “magic circle” (a safe temporary space for the act of play), by intentionally designing for discursive topics and their friction points. It contributes strategies about when, how, how frequently, and with what intensity discursive topics may be introduced and abstracted in games. It frames the discursive topic, creates the emotional climate, and anchors the player inside the magic circle of the game so that they feel engaged, motivated, and curious without becoming overwhelmed. This study also generated two additional frameworks, including: the Self-Development Opportunity Matrix that can be used to generate or evaluate self-development goals; and, the Five Categories of Transitional and Traumatic Experiences that can assist in the design of games and other experiences that build a person’s capacity, self-determination, and commitment to positive change.
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Title: Development of Granular Jamming Soft Robots from Boundary Constrained to Interconnected Systems
Creator: Tanaka, Koki
Date: 2023
Description: This dissertation provides a detailed study on the conceptualization, creation, and optimization of a unique, interconnected soft robot system...
Show moreThis dissertation provides a detailed study on the conceptualization, creation, and optimization of a unique, interconnected soft robot system. It introduces a flexible assembly of locomotive robotic modules interconnected by an envelope, capable of granular jamming. In doing so, it highlights the practical capabilities of these interconnected modules to adapt and function cohesively as a single robot system.As a precursor to the primary investigation, the study initially presents the development and experimental validation of a boundary constrained mobile soft robot. This design leverages granular jamming for locomotion and object grasping, thereby laying a robust foundation for the subsequent exploration of complex soft robotic systems.The cornerstone of this study is the development of an interconnected soft robot system, where locomotive robotic modules, primarily composed of an elastic material, are bound together by a flexible envelope designed for granular jamming. The robotic modules, fundamentally constructed from an elastic material, incorporate origami-inspired artificial muscle actuators. These actuators, with their semi-soft characteristics, complement the inherent flexibility of the modules and play a significant role in facilitating module propulsion. Although the design incorporates a traditional rigid power source, as opposed to a fully soft robot system, the integration of a pneumatic power method into the system successfully reduces the mechanical intricacy and unwieldiness typically associated with rigid mechanisms.This research further probes into the diverse applications of this interconnected soft robot system. Its ability to shape-shift and maintain these forms during locomotion exemplifies a robust control strategy for the system that may undergo substantial deformation, proving instrumental in dynamic environments. The study demonstrates a methodology for object manipulation and obstacle avoidance that does not rely heavily on precise control and sensing. Instead, it utilizes the inherent compliance of the soft robot system. In a notable departure from previous studies, the system also exhibits a unique capability for ascending and traversing inclined surfaces.Additionally, the study dives into the optimization of the interconnected robot system via a physics-based simulation and genetic algorithm. This approach results in an assortment of optimized configurations that excel in object grasping tasks of various shapes, thereby laying a robust groundwork for the progression of soft robotics in the future.In conclusion, this investigation reveals groundbreaking insights into the field of soft robotics through the successful design and optimization of an interconnected soft robot system. Its standout performances in deformation, manipulation, and navigation tasks set it apart. This work serves to significantly enhance the adaptability and functionality of future robotic systems, pushing the edge of what is possible across a diverse range of sectors. By portraying a significant step towards a future where robots can dynamically adapt to their environments and efficiently accomplish complex tasks, this dissertation exemplifies a transformative stride in the field.
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Title: Design for Equivalence: Mutual Learning and Participant Gains in Participatory Design Processes
Creator: Geppert, Amanda Anne
Date: 2023
Description: The ways in which people are or are not—aware, eligible, able, invited, required, supported, willing, and/or forced, among other conditions—to...
Show moreThe ways in which people are or are not—aware, eligible, able, invited, required, supported, willing, and/or forced, among other conditions—to participate in the procedures or experiences that constitute world-making activities—from voting, policymaking, or designing algorithms, technologies, products, programs, services, interventions, infrastructures, or systems, among other things—that affect their lives—is a central issue of our time. It demands careful consideration and is of great consequence as to whether or not the worlds we create are equitable, sustainable, and just, so that all people have free and equal standing and a real opportunity to belong and flourish. This study took up this issue in the context of participatory design practice and research and the making of sexual and reproductive health interventions with and for adolescents who are marginalized by race, class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, and Chicago, Illinois, United States. The study advances knowledge in design by exploring how problem-focused, front-end participatory design processes expand or constrain the epistemic authority of less powerful actors, more specifically, systematically excluded individuals and groups. The study was conducted in two parallel phases. First, through a theoretical elaboration and critical analysis, it examined the application of Mouffean agonism in recent formulations of participatory design processes to address complex social and political issues with marginalized individuals and groups. The analysis demonstrated that a key construct—the chain of equivalence—is absent and resulted in the failure of these processes to achieve the collective, counter-hegemonic, and emancipatory responses strong enough to counter power as imagined by Chantal Mouffe. Second, an explanatory embedded multiple case study was conducted on two front-end participatory design workshops to understand what less powerful actors gain by engaging in collaborative processes of design and how practices and processes do or do not support their epistemic authority and matters of care. Thematic analysis suggested how the practices of collective information sharing and gathering—mutual learning and learning— affect participant gains and design process outputs. Additionally, thematic analysis informed a theoretical, conceptual, and practical move to expand beyond the original scope of the Mouffean chain of equivalence to include collaborating actors who may not be equivalently disadvantaged by current power relations, but who are committed to participatory design processes that prioritize the issues and matters of care of less powerful actors. When considered together, findings from both research phases inform the development of design for equivalence, at once a theoretical stance and a methodological framework to inform the selection of approaches, theories, processes, methods, practices, and tools for participatory design processes that support the epistemic authority of participants in challenging social and structural inequalities and creating articulations of the common good strong enough to counter dominant paradigms.
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Title: Capital Design: The Role of Design in Institutional Capital Allocation
Creator: Ostapchuk, Jordan
Date: 2024
Description: There is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more...
Show moreThere is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more challenging it becomes to make investment decisions. This paradox is significant because capital is one of the most transformational elements of the 21st century, driven by financialization, universal ownership, and increasing systemic risks. The direction of capital flows significantly influences the approach to addressing climate change, aging populations, and the transition to sustainable energy, in addition to supporting the essential physical and social infrastructure supported by institutional capital. This research proposes and substantiates a novel hypothesis: design can significantly influence capital allocation in institutional investment contexts. Through an institutional case study, expert interviews, workshops with master’s level design students, and systems-informed reflective practice, this research identifies asset classes as an important and changeable lens through which institutions engage with the future. It explores how these asset classes shape choices in the capital allocation process and identifies eight design capabilities particularly suited for institutional investment contexts. In doing so, it introduces a framework termed Capital Design. This framework illustrates how design can influence institutional capital allocation by integrating these design capabilities with investment tools through informational lenses within a choice/knowledge map. As a result, Capital Design offers an innovative approach for investors and investees to reorient toward emergent asset categories that directly meet the most urgent societal needs.
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Title: Capital Design: The Role of Design in Institutional Capital Allocation
Creator: Ostapchuk, Jordan
Date: 2024
Description: There is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more...
Show moreThere is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more challenging it becomes to make investment decisions. This paradox is significant because capital is one of the most transformational elements of the 21st century, driven by financialization, universal ownership, and increasing systemic risks. The direction of capital flows significantly influences the approach to addressing climate change, aging populations, and the transition to sustainable energy, in addition to supporting the essential physical and social infrastructure supported by institutional capital. This research proposes and substantiates a novel hypothesis: design can significantly influence capital allocation in institutional investment contexts. Through an institutional case study, expert interviews, workshops with master’s level design students, and systems-informed reflective practice, this research identifies asset classes as an important and changeable lens through which institutions engage with the future. It explores how these asset classes shape choices in the capital allocation process and identifies eight design capabilities particularly suited for institutional investment contexts. In doing so, it introduces a framework termed Capital Design. This framework illustrates how design can influence institutional capital allocation by integrating these design capabilities with investment tools through informational lenses within a choice/knowledge map. As a result, Capital Design offers an innovative approach for investors and investees to reorient toward emergent asset categories that directly meet the most urgent societal needs.
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