Epps tells Humans Invent there are three stages to the process.
“We actually start with card and design the shape pretty quickly
and get an understanding of the material limitations from the
folded card because when we scale that up, the material
properties are very similar to metal.” The second stage is an
intermediary one between man and robot as the machines need to
be told what to do. For this they use CAD (computer aided
design) software. “We simulate the folding using software called
Rhino – we have worked with various software developers to
create folding plug-ins and robotic plug-ins so that we can
simulate the whole process again.” The last and most significant
part of the process, of course, is the actual folding of the
metal by the robots. The machines they use are exactly the same
as those found in car plants: robotic arms with suction pumps
that can fold the piece of metal in a completely determined way
under orders from the CAD software. Looking at the delicate,
intricate pieces of flowing metal