RAMUS, a Latin term meaning “branch”, advances design and fabrication of ecological benign wood biomass composites with precise material distribution, programmed hierarchical behavior, efficient material use, minimum waste, and non-toxic processing during synthesis and at end-of-life.
Harnessing DumoLab’s biogenic and biodegradable blend development and ambient conditions additive manufacturing platform, a lightweight modular dome structure is made of cellulosic biomass fibers and seafood waste hydrogel binders developed to display multiple mechanical behaviors as sets of robust stemming structures or flexible latticed inserts. Designed to accommodate a catalogue of bending conditions, panels take tree-branch like loads and bypass the use of petrochemical-infused wood materials to achieve strength and flexibility within the same material system.
Inspired by both ancient vaulting and growth processes in leaf venations, agent-based iterative algorithms generate tool paths for 6-axis robotic printing of load-and growth-aware interwoven patterns. Then panels are robotically manufactured at room temperature, in aqueous conditions, and rely on the dynamics of evaporation for curing. The RAMUS DOME assembles a 3-leg structure with capacity to mediate light, ease transportation and assembly, and decay nourishing molecules into forest soils to grow new ecologies.
Team: Bowen Qin, Alexia Luo, Behzad Modanloo, Cocona Liu, Ilyas Mousannif, and Dr Laia Mogas-Soldevila.
Venue: In display until end of May 2026 at 3616 Lancaster Ave, 19104 Philadelphia PA.
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