Nervous System has released Reaction, their first collection of housewares. The collection includes porcelain cups and plates and matching 3D printed lamps. The pieces are intricately embossed with intertwining patterns of ridges and valleys that create a unique experience that is both visual and tactile. The designs are grown through a computer simulation of reaction-diffusion, a chemical patterning mechanism observed in a myriad of biological systems, from animal prints to slime molds.
Products
Two porcelain tableware designs. These are dishwasher and microwave safe.
The Reaction Cup – $20 each or $60 for a set of 4. 3” x3.5” high (7.6×8.9cm), holds approximately 10 oz of fluid. It works for both cold and hot beverages, as the ridges provide an extra layer of insulation.
The Reaction Plate – $25 each or $80 for a set of 4. 8” (20.3cm) diameter. Features a spiraling embossed reaction pattern. The ridges are more highly raise at the edges of the plate and get flatter towards the center.
One of our Reaction plates imaginatively plated by Andrew and Michael of A Razor, A Shiny Knife
Lamps
Lamps come in a variety of styles and sizes and are made of rigid nylon plastic. The forms are reminiscent of corals, sand dunes, and seed pods. The pattern modulates the surface thickness to reveal a cellular texture when lit. Each is lit by a 3-watt Cree LED fixture with switch and wall US wall plug. More information is available on the individual product pages.
The cup and plates sets come in the packaging (shown below) which describes the ideas behind the designs.
Inspiration
photographs of animal patternings by Jessica Rosenkrantz of Nervous System
Reaction-diffusion (RD) is a canonical example of complex behavior that emerges from a simple set of rules. RD models a set of substances that are diffusing, or spreading; these substances also react with one another to create new substances. This simple idea has been suggested as a model for a diverse set of biological phenomena. All kinds of animals from fish to zebras display interesting color patterns on their skin and shells which play important roles in their behavior. However, the underlying cause of these patterns is still not understood. In 1952, Alan Turing suggested the RD system as an answer to not only this question but also the more general one of why cells differentiate. How do individual cells locate themselves in the larger scale structure and pattern of an organism? The patterns seen on the animals occur over a scale much larger than a cell, yet they display remarkable self-similarity on every part of the animal’s body.
Turing studied the behavior of a complex system in which two substances interact with each other and diffuse at different rates. He proved mathematically that such a system can form stable periodic patterns even from uniform starting conditions. One of the most interesting things about RD is that you can have a homogeneous system where every cell is doing exactly the same action (for instance just producing a certain amount of some chemicals); but from this one process a large scale structure emerges.
You can read more about reaction diffusion in our previous blog posts on our work with it.
System
We wrote a computer program to generate 3D forms using a mathematical simulation of RD, and used this software to grow the designs of the reaction collection. Parameters of the simulation can be varied for differing effects, creating different types or directions of pattern. These parameters are controlled and change through space to express design intent. The process begins on an imported underlying surface, and a 3 dimensional object is formed by embossing or removing material from that surface based on the chemical concentration present at each point in space. Multiple scales of pattern and simulation are used to create more detailed forms.
Fabrication
After being computationally grown, the digital objects are made physical through 3D printing.
The lamps are produced directly using selective laser sintering, a type of 3d-printing where nylon powder is fused by a laser. However, the cups are plates are produced by slipcasting, a process where clay slurry is poured into plaster molds. A master cup and plate model is printed using SLA to create molds.
(SLA positives of the cup and plate designs for slipcasting)
These models are produced 15% larger than the final pieces to account for shrinkage that occurs when porcelain is fired. A rubber positive master mold is made of these 3D prints, which is used for the creation of plaster production molds. Slip is poured into each mold and dries. The plaster mold absorbs moisture, hardening the exterior of the slip, the rest is poured out, leaving a shell. This shell is the cup; but, it’s in a “green” state and must be fired in a kiln and glazed to realize the final product.
Sketches
Here are some images of sketches we produced while working on the designs for the cups, plates and lamps.
We’ve been really excited about the enthusiastic response to our Hyphae Lamps! On August 16th, we sold the last Hyphae Lamp from the first series that was available on our website. Each lamp in the series is a one of a kind design but the series itself is unlimited. So in the following days, we’ve grown the next group of lamps. These lamps number 14 through 28 and are currently available for purchase in our online shop.
One of the great things about having sold the first batch of lamps is that they were all printed and we were able to do a family portrait of a number of them together. We also had a chance to design packaging for the lamps which we are making in house on our laser cutter. Each lamp comes in a two part box with a detailed laser engraved venation pattern and edition number.
The Hyphae Lamp is a new series of algorithmically generated lighting designs by Nervous System. Each lamp is individually grown through a process based on leaf vein formation. No two lamps are alike. Each casts a unique pattern of branching shadows on the wall and ceiling, creating an ethereal and organic atmosphere. The lamps are 3D-printed to order in nylon and illuminated with eco-friendly LED lights. The first 10 lamps in the series are now available for purchase.
GROWTH PROCESS VIDEO
video not showing up? watch it on Vimeo.com here: Hyphae Lamps. Special thanks to Graham Woolley / scion eidolon for creating the music.
INSPIRATION
The veins of leaves are intricate structures that function both to distribute resources and reinforce strength. Though it appears all vein patterns have the same overall organization and hierarchy, no two leaves have the same vein structure. Rather each leaf has its own peculiarities emerging from its unique circumstances. Across species the patterns differ drastically; they can be radial like a lilypad, parallel like a blade of grass or reticulate like a tomatillo husk. How can one mechanism explain such variety?
SCIENCE
Our Hyphae collection was inspired by scientific research into this question; how do leaf veins form? Why do they differ from leaf to leaf, plant to plant? A theory called ‘Auxin Flux Canalization’ explains venation as the result of the movement of the growth hormone auxin. A feedback mechanism makes it easier for auxin to flow where it has flowed before and cells with high levels of auxin differentiate into vein cells. Our simulation is based on the work by Adam Runions of the Algorithmic Botany group at the University of Calgary, who devised a process based on the auxin flux canalization theory.
We translated this system to 3D to generate physical objects. A technical explanation of some aspects of the system can be found here.
DESIGN
The lamps are grown in custom design software we created in C++ using CGAL and Cinder. The branching network evokes leaves, coral, and roots without precisely replicating any natural form. Each lamp starts from a base volume and a set of root points; the lamp’s structure emerges through an iterative process as the roots grow into an auxin filled environment. The system is optimized to produce designs for manufacturing by Selective Laser Sintering. They capitalize both on 3d-printing’s ability to create complex organic forms but also to create all unique products as there are no costs for tooling and no need for molds. The pieces are 3d-printed by the NYC-based service Shapeways. The 3D-printing process minimizes waste, using only the material in the final form. Each lamp is fabricated on demand.
The lamps are the latest designs to join our Hyphae collection which also includes 3d-printed jewelry designs launched earlier in the year.
ILLUMINATION
The lamps are lit by a set of 3 Cree LEDs, using a total of only 3.6W of electricity. The estimated lifetime of the light is over 50,000 hours or almost 6 years of continuous use.
If you are in NYC, please come visit us at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Center. We will debut our first one of a kind housewares product, the Hyphae Lamp. We have two on display and every lamp in the series will be a one of a kind design grown individually in our 3D leaf venation simulation.
We will also show our Reaction Lamp collection including a new larger Seed Lamp (top photos). All of the lamps use eco-friendly Cree LED fixtures.
The lamps are on show in booth 1451 (Shapeways) and our jewelry is for sale in the designboom mart at booth 1266. Please come check them out! We’re excited to share our new designs with you!
Our new reaction collection includes 3dprinted pendant lamps created by means of Selective Laser Sintering. The Spiral lamp (below) is covered by ridges and valleys that transmit different amounts of light when illuminated; they furnish a striking pattern whether the lamp is on or off. We orchestrated a pattern that twists elegantly towards the base of the lamp where it terminates in a gentle spiral. Lines diverge and converge along the contours of the sphere, blanketing the surface in many deep grooves. We think the pattern recalls the forms of sand dunes and hard corals.
The seed lamps play with reaction-diffusion at different scales to produce an organic effect. A simple sphere grows into a complex sculpted surface by layering reaction patterns at a micro and macro scale. The larger scale pattern creates the overall topography of the lamp while the smaller scale modulates the surface thickness to reveal a cellular texture when lit. In seed#1 (first lamp above), the patterns at both scales are cellular, however the surface is punctured only according to the disposition of the smaller scale. We were inspired by microscopic images of seeds where both the overall shape of the seed and the cells of which it is composed are visible
In seed#2, the macro and micro scale patterns each have a distinct character and they interact to create a pattern of perforations limited to the valleys of its landscape.
The lamps were all generated using software we created in the open source programming environment Processing that simulates reaction-diffusion. The video below shows the generation of two seed lamps.
Reaction-diffusion (RD) has become one of the most canonical examples of complex behavior that emerges from a simple set of rules. RD models a set of substances that are diffusing, or spreading; these substances also react with one another to create new substances. This simple idea has been suggested as a model for a diverse set of biological phenomena. All kinds of animals from fish to zebras display interesting color patterns on their skin and shells which play important roles in their behavior. However, the underlying cause of these patterns is still not understood. In 1952, Alan Turing suggested the RD system as an answer to not only this question but also the more general one of why cells differentiate. How do individual cells locate themselves in the larger scale structure and pattern of an organism? The patterns seen on the animals occur over a scale much larger than a cell, yet they display remarkable self-similarity on every part of the animal’s body.
Turing studied the behavior of a complex system in which two substances interact with each other and diffuse at different rates. He proved mathematically that such a system can form stable periodic patterns even from uniform starting conditions. One of the most interesting things about RD is that you can have a homogeneous system where every cell is doing exactly the same action (for instance just producing a certain amount of some chemicals); but from this one process a large scale structure emerges.
The diagrams below show a simple RD model. There are two substances. One, the activator, increases the synthesis of both itself and another substance, the inhibitor. However, the inhibitor locally inhibits the production of activator. This simple interaction is enough to generate the patterns shown below.
more pieces for our show are arriving! here’s a peak at one of the lamps we designed. we’ll do a real post on the ideas and code behind the creation of the reaction pieces sometime soon….I promise. The short of it is we created the lamp in Processing and it was 3dprinted using Selective Laser Sintering in nylon plastic. We varied the material thickness to create an intricate effect when illuminated.
The form is generated through a simulation of reaction-diffusion, a natural process that is theorized to be involved in everything from animal skin patterns to cell differentiation. For this lamp, we control the reaction through anisotropic diffusion. Anisotropic means that we varying the rate and direction of diffusion through space. This allows us to create a form that is at once controlled and organic.
This video shows a 2D reaction where the primary direction of diffusion is being varied by a noise function. The reaction is based on the Gray-Scott model , where one of the chemical concentration is being represented by the black color. The difficult part of this project was developing a controlled way to use reaction diffusion in 3D. Our aim was to create a pattern that would complement the spherical form and provide intruige in lit and unlit states of the lamp. Our solution involved crafting a spiraling reaction that terminates at the base of the sphere.
This lamp as well as more explorations of reaction-diffusion will be exhibited at Rare Device in San Francisco from September 2 to October 10.
As we prepare for our show in San Francisco we are designing some lamps to complement the new ceramics pieces. Here are some sketches we created today.
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