Product design · Digital fabrication
Burl
An adaptive shelf whose 150+ spring-loaded pins conform around whatever is pressed into it, holding objects in almost any orientation.
- Role
- Individual project · IDSN-524 Physical Product Design
More than 150 individually spring-loaded pins deform around anything pushed into the array. Their continuous pressure and friction hold the object in place, so compatible objects can be supported in many orientations without fixed shelves, hooks, or object-specific fixtures.
Inspiration. From first sketches to the DN-40 alarm clock.
Burl is an adaptive shelf developed as an individual project for IDSN-524, Physical Product Design, where the brief was interactive shelving. I drew on the DN—40 alarm clock — its form, color, and strong presence on a desk — and applied that sensibility to a shelf for people whose stored objects change often.
Sketches
Early concepts
DN-40 alarm clock
Building process. CAD, then cardboard, wood and paint.
I designed the complete system in CAD, laser-cut the internal components from wood, and 3D-printed the enclosure. The hard parts were packaging the dense pin array, holding tolerances across many moving parts, getting reliable friction locking, and finishing mixed fabrication processes into one cohesive product. Every part was sanded and painted for the final prototype.
CAD
In construction
Finished. On the desk.
