GIK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great Invention Kit (or GIK) is a construction kit, like Lego, but using a different type of assembly principle. It was first developed by Grace and Eli and Neil Gershenfeld at the MIT Media Lab.
Two GIK parts are assembled by turning one of them by 90 degrees and then press-fitting them together. Numerous three dimensional constructions can be assembled out of two dimensional parts. The advantage of press-fit is that it allows objects made of GIK to be broken down and re-assembled into something else.
The advantages of the GIK are:
1. Scalability. It's very easy to scale down or up GIK parts using the appropriate cutting machine and the appropriate material.
2. Material diversity. GIK parts can be made out of various materials :
- a. Conductive or insulating materials, useful in electronics.
- b. Various refractive coefficient materials, useful in optics.
- c. Soft or hard materials, useful as joints.
- d. Doped or un-doped materials, useful in active Electronics.
- e. Bio-compatible materials, useful in medicine and Tissue Engineering
3. Reversibility : GIK assemblies can be constructed and deconstructed, with therefore no trash, and taking full advantage of reuse and recycling.
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[edit] 3D printing
GIK parts can be used as elementary parts for 3D printing. Imagine a machine able to build object by assembling together smaller-than-visible-with-naked-eye parts . Assume these parts can be different materials. We will be able to print a variety of objects , very much like in Science Fiction movies or as imagined by Nanoscience Scientists : Universal assembler. The advantages of GIK over other techniques are it's proven feasibility, the vast material set that can be used and the reversibility of the construction.
[edit] Millimeter size parts
Millimeter size parts were fabricated out of paper or standard printer transparencies using a CO2 laser printer.
[edit] Smallest parts developed so far
Micrometer size parts were fabricated out of Kapton using an Excimer laser.
[edit] Biggest parts developed so far
The biggest existing GIK parts developed so far are human-size parts that could be used to assemble buildings.
