AutoConnect: 3-D-Printable Connectors Join Standard-Shaped And Free-Form Objects

Researchers have created a new method that could instantly design a custom connector that can be produced with a 3D printer. This new method could allow you to mount a smartphone on your dashboard or even your guitar, according to a study by Disney Researchers.

"The promise of 3D printing is that people can personally create customized objects, but it's often a difficult promise to fulfill because 3D objects can be so hard to design," said Jessica Hodgins, vice president of Disney Research, in a news release. "That's particularly true for connectors, so we think AutoConnect could become an important and valuable tool as the 3D printing revolution continues to grow."

Disney's new method, AutoConnect, enables a wide range of objects to be attached together. This includes objects with standard shapes, ranging from pipes, to boxes, to game controllers, toy animals and even coffee mugs, according to the researchers. The new design even has a method for creating holders for items that have unusual shapes.

Users decide which items they want to join, the weight and size of objects are taken into consideration into this process. AutoConnect then creates a variety of alternative designs which can connect the items, the user then selects an item that best fits their description.

"One solution to the problem of 3D design has been the creation of online design repositories," said Shinjiro Sueda, a post-doctoral researcher at Disney Research. "For instance, there are many designs available online for attaching smartphones to bikes. But finding designs for connecting less common objects can be difficult if not impossible."

In order to accomplish the task, users need to provide 3D models for objects to be connected. These models can be downloaded from the Internet, or they can be created using a 3D scanner. The two methods show a user how the two objects should be aligned when connected, according to the researchers.

"The user provides the what and where, and AutoConnect determines the how," said Sueda.

The team of researchers plan on presenting their new AutoConnector at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2015, the Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Kobe, Japan.

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