Bot of the Cloth: A Flexible CNC Machine

This device was created for New Textiles, a class at the MIT Media Lab. The goal was to create a machine that could be used to plot large clothing patterns on sheets of fabric as a way of making it easier to share clothing designs online. The CoreXY mechanism made it possible to construct the plotter using fabric. One discovery along the way was the notion of sewing 3D printed objects onto fabric.

Video

Bot-of-the-Cloth Kinematics

Fabric Construction

Initial Sketches

Sketch Model

Solid Model

3D Printing

Conductive Fabric Test Bed

Finished Prototype

Detail Shots

Files

File NameDescription
botc_STL.zipZIP file of all components in STL format
botc_SW.zipZIP file of all components in SolidWorks format
softbot_master_r2.SLDPRTThe master model only in SolidWorks format

External Links