Emily Whiting at TED-x-BeaconStreet

TEDxBeaconStreet gathers a group of thought leaders from a variety of fields to share their intriguing, actionable ideas. This November, Assistant Professor Emily Whiting spoke about her work in the emerging field of computational fabrication. 3D printers are revolutionizing the manufacturing and design industry, allowing us to create shapes of astounding complexity and precision. Emily Whiting explains that the power of digital fabrication goes beyond looks; an untapped potential exists to design not just the shape, but the physical behavior of 3D printed objects. The key is the unprecedented ability to create intricate, hidden interior structures. Prof. Whiting describes how computational methods can exploit fundamental principles of physics to produce these structures, changing the way we design for the world of digital fabrication and helping us re-imagine everyday objects.