Computational Hug

Understanding humans as individuals, the project examines what it means when two people negotiate the space between them through a hug. Wood shavings, a waste materiel from fabrication processes are mixed with a bio-resin that allows them to transform from a soft and malleable state to a rigid state, which during this phase change shaped by any two human actors with no previous training and are instructed to simply hug and squeeze the bags between their bodies with a specific intensity. Computation is then used to determine specific hanging points on each panel to keep the entire structure in equlibirum.

Credits:
Research: conducted at the Univ. of Tokyo - Obuchi Laboratory. Project Team: Deborah Lopez, Hadin Charbel, Mika Portugaise, Ruta Stankevičiūtė, Shuntaro Nozawa.  Structural Engineering: Jun Sato, Shohei Furuichi. Video Production: Deborah Lopez, Hadin Charbel, Mika Portugaise, Ruta Stankevičiūtė . Image Credits: Deborah Lopez & Hadin Charbel