Turn-by-Wire: Computationally Mediated Physical Fabrication

Current digital fabrication tools allow users to exert precise computer control over the making process. However, the `push-to-make' usage model of these tools limits not only their use, but also stifles our own mental models for how we should be able to directly, fluidly, and creatively interact with these tools. In this paper, we investigate how a new class of hybrid-controlled machines can collaborate with novice and expert users alike to yield a more lucid making experience. We demonstrate these ideas through our system, Turn-by-Wire. By combining the capabilities of a traditional lathe with haptic input controllers that modulate both position and force, we detail a series of novel interaction metaphors that invite an adaptable making process spanning digital, model-centric, computer control, and embodied, adaptive, human control. We evaluate our system through a user study and discuss how these concepts generalize to other fabrication tools.