SBIR Phase II: Sketch-based interaction for designing for laser cutters

这个SBIR二期项目将开发创新的设计软件，使所有年龄段的人都能轻松地用激光切割机、CNC路由器和3D打印机创建生产蓝图。这些机器使任何人都能设计和制造实物，从而有可能改变美国的制造业。然而，设计软件仍然是一个瓶颈。该项目通过提供类似纸张的界面来创建可加工的图纸，同时保留手绘素描的创造性和认知优势，解决了这个问题。此外，软件的创新交互范例在人们绘制草图或制作图表的每个领域都有广泛的应用，并且将使人们能够更有效地设计和创建原型。该项目的目标是为平板电脑提供一个有效，直观的设计应用程序，使学生在发明和建造物理结构时更容易从事工程设计。这项创新结合了素描识别（允许徒手输入）和几何约束管理（使软件能够保持用户所需的精度）。在整个开发过程中，该软件将在合作的高中和校外制造实验室中不断部署和评估，以指导未来的功能和交互需求。

This SBIR Phase II project will develop innovative design software that enables people of all ages to easily create blueprints for production with laser cutters, CNC routers, and 3D printers. These machines hold the potential to transform American manufacturing by enabling anyone to design and build physical items. However, design software remains a bottleneck. This project addresses this problem by offering a paper-like interface to create machinable drawings while retaining the creative and cognitive advantages of freehand sketching. Moreover, the software's innovative interaction paradigm has broad applications in every domain where people sketch or make diagrams, and will enable people to design and prototype more productively.The project goal is to provide an effective, intuitive design application for tablet computers to make it easier for students to engage in engineering design as they invent and build physical constructions. The innovation combines sketch recognition (that enables freehand input) with geometric constraint management (that enables the software to maintain as much precision as the user needs). Throughout development, the software will be continuously deployed and assessed at collaborating high schools and out-of-school fabrication labs to guide future features and interaction needs.