What we came up with…

OurOwnsKIN prototype close up

Using the medical research we gathered we trialled an auxetic mesh based on the principles of human foot skin to print out developmental samples. These we displayed at Makerversity London at Somerset House in early June 2016 as part of the MV Works showcase Into the Wild. http://mv.works/about/into-the-wild/ 

into the wild ourownskin showcase at somerset house 2
into the wild ourownskin showcase at somerset house 2
into the wild ourownskin showcase at somerset house 3
into the wild ourownskin showcase at somerset house 3
OurOwnsKIN studies
OurOwnsKIN studies

How the project came about…

sKINship

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The project took almost two years to secure funding. In the first of those years Rhian, myself and later Manolis refined what the project would become.

Rhian’s practice focuses on issues around of skin including materiality, perception and psychological aspects. She works with medical specialist, designers, patients and technical specialist often provoking conversation and facilitating collaboration.

sKINship work comparing the cut of skin and the cut of cloth
sKINship work comparing the cut of skin and the cut of cloth

In mid 2013, Suzanne Lee of BioCouture now at Modern Meadows (a company growing leather) introduced the two of us. Rhian was facilitating collaborative projects between medical specialist and designers, using knowledge transfer to compare the cut of skin in reconstructive surgery and the cut of cloth in fashion pattern cutting. The aim was to inspire creative thinking around the cuts for each discipline. Rhian was looking to expand this work to other design disciplines such as footwear, lingerie and millinery. We discussed a possible project and Rhian arranged for me to meet reconstructive surgeons at Kings hospital that summer. It was amazing to observe practice and speak to the reconstructive specialist. Rhian and I played around with medical material and discussed a possible project with the surgeons.

At this point we were unsure about the details of the project, but knew we had to get funding. We knew Rhian’s role would be to facilitate the project and my role was as designer. So I took the lead in finding funding and spent the next 9 months applying to funding organisations without much luck. In hindsight my lack of success was down to two factors…I was not sure exactly what the project would be and second I had little experience in applying for funding.

Then in early 2014 I had an epiphany moment. Rhian’s pervious work had been to transfer the knowledge of the cut of skin as a material to the cut of cloth a different material. Footwear pattern cutting already had a foundation in the cut of skin for a product (shoe) people wore. It just happened to be the skin of another animals. In fact the footwear industry’s pattern cutting had evolved on the cut of another animal![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”5px”][vc_single_image image=”383″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”5px”][vc_single_image image=”387″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]

For example we cut tight to toe on a piece of leather, meaning we cut the top line of a shoe on the tightest part of the skin so when we walk our shoes do not stretch to the point of falling off our feet.

direction
Tight to toe pattern cutting

I spent time joining up the potential dots and realised starting from human skin as a reference point would be useful in the design of 3D printed shoes. In 3D printed shoes we have the potential to design inside the material out.

I had a concept and with this Rhian advised me on her knowledge of skin and what was needed to facilitate the project. Rhian got to work, connecting me with a chemical engineer specialising in 3D printed medical implants, Manolis Papastavou, a PhD student at Nottingham Trent University.

So the team was formed and plans made. Now onto more funding applications….[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The first plan…use medical imagery

There are similarities between skin, paramedic computation work and 3D printing. Skin is a heterogeneous material, meaning the chemical composition is the same in the layers of our skin. It is skin’s material structure which changes the properties, meaning the skin of our eyelid is the same stuff as the skin on the soles of our feet. It is just how the structure of the material is arrange which determines the properties of how each area of skin behaves.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/3″][image_with_text image=”393″]SEM (scanning electron microscope) image of skin structure [/image_with_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”435″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”399″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]So the original thinking was we will use medical imaging of different parts of the skin to inform was the structure needs to be. We will then use algorithms to blend the structures across the different parts to cut up the material so it produced the flex, density and thickness desired.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”451″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]Leading designer Sarat Babu of Betaty.pe is doing amazing work proposing the idea of structure is material. He is prototyping examples of how through 3D printed structure the behaviour of the material can change,[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/3″][image_with_text title_tag=”h6″ image=”466″]Types of tissues – note the top connective and epithelial tissue[/image_with_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][image_with_text image=”467″]tangle of collagen fibres and connective tissues[/image_with_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][image_with_text image=”468″]SEM of cut section of skin showing different layers[/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]While the investigation into skin’s structure was interesting and useful the plan to use medical imagery to bio inspire computation was thwarted.

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. The Welcome Trust is the source through which to request access to the imagery. From further sources, the foot imagery bank does not hold systematic zoned imagery of healthy human foot skin. If we used the method (recreating bio inspired skin structure from histology imagery), the imagery information would be incomplete and because the bank held imagery of foot skin conditions mainly, the imagery could be misleading.

Another plan was needed…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

In Comes Manolis Papastravou…

Manolis Papastravou

Ideas are just this without a plan on how to get there. Having the mad idea to use human foot skin to make 3D printed shoes better needed the help of someone with experience translating the body into computation. Rhian had connected me with Manolis Papastravou a chemical engineer designing 3D medical implants. Manolis is in his final year PhD developing 3D printed bone implants to improve how bones heal. He is using novel techniques 3D printing in a freezer to create surfaces bone likes growing on. http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/02/3d-printing-next-generation-bone-implants#.VrM3skxsO4k.twitter

3d-print-bone-implant - Manolis' research
3d-print-bone-implant – Manolis’ research

Rhino Grasshopper

Rhino Grasshopper is to be used to make auxetics into 3D computation. This is an algorithmic program where form is defined by a set of parameters and then the form can be output to travel across the scanned structure of the foot or any defined structure form. A set pattern, or in our case a cell, will travel across the foot and be stretched or deformed in a way that the underlining structure form dictates. Meaning the pattern will get larger or smaller depending how it covers the form underneath. Designers are already using this program and from speaking to one 3D print specialist, designers are using algothymns irresponsibly. I believe this was said because footwear specialism is very specific, a bit of a black art craft which has evolved over years of trial and error to become a mature product. To be able to digitally tailor a auxetic pattern across a foot takes footwear development know how.   While I would not claim to have this level of experience and knowledge of shoe fit, I know enough to contribute to the project so we can produce something to prove the feasibility of using skin to make better 3D printed shoes for industry development.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”461″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]