Reprinting Intelligence

3D Printed Brain Designed for the 2018 World Economic Forum ETH Exhibition

3D Printing is changing the way that we fabricate objects offering us unprecedented freedom in shapes, materials and new functionalities. In turn, it requires us to re-think how we design these objects to capitalize on the new freedoms. To create the 3D printed brain we started from a MRI scan of a brain, hollowed it out to make it lightweight and then designed a structure to internally support it starting from the stem. The supporting structure is automatically generated by a computer using a generative algorithm inspired by the branching structures found in neurons and neural networks in the brain. This structure is also computationally optimized to make it lightweight and designed so that it is fully integrated into the hollowed out brain shell. This a unique example of generative design and fabrication in our research due to the challenges posed by the scale and complexity of the model. It illustrates the necessity of computer power and new computational methods to re-think how we design and fabricate complex artifacts.

The 3D printed brain model consists of 12 pieces, due to limitations on 3D printing size, each containing part of the brain shell and the integrated supporting structure that are then assembled together. The intricate layer pattern of the Fused-Deposition (FDM) 3D printing process can be seen on the surface of the brain creating a unique surface topography. The result is a highly complex geometry that is visually intriguing and sparks many questions about how far we will go with 3D printing and new design approaches to encompass both the artificial and natural worlds.

3D Printed Brain Model:
Material: Polycarbonate
Technology: Fortus 400mc (Fused-Deposition Modeling)
Total Size: 525 x 442 x 452 mm
Total printing time: 22.5 days
Total weight: 5.8 kg

Design Team: