Zeke Gamby

Industrial design & AI

Master’s research / Wellington, NZ

Giving AI
physical form.

I’m building a more direct path from AI design to physical hardware.

A modified PolyJet workflow.
Robotic hands as the test case.

Explore the work
Studio visualisation of the clear-skinned blue and teal thumb-and-index design in open and curled poses
V14 / Form and movementStudio visualisation based on CADVisualisation
Current prototype · Physical test
From print to movementThumb + index / 24 secondsFilm
Interactive / Motion StudioMove the box. Watch the hand follow.Explore the wrist and finger motion study.

Selected experiments

Made. Tested. Reconsidered.

The prints and studies behind the current prototype. Every iteration asks a different question.

A row of blue material samples and printed finger joints alongside a servo-driven finger
Material to mechanismEarly prints & actuator testsPhysical test
V14 CAD study showing clear skin over blue and teal internal structures in two poses
A body built around movementV14 / Skin & anatomical pinchCAD study
Close-up of a blue printed joint with translucent connecting elements
The joint, up closeRigid structure / Flexible connectionsPhysical print
V20 digital finger model with articulated teal segments, pale joint structures and orange routed features
Designing what’s insideV20 / Mechanism studyCAD study
Dark blue sculpted thumb-and-index CAD model with visible tendon routes
Exploring another formOP02 / Sculpted opposed digitsCAD study
Close-up of an earlier printed finger and its surrounding flexible skin
What happens when it bends?Skin & articulation experimentsPhysical test

Select any image for a closer look.

The idea behind the work

A physical
partner for AI.

The hand is the test case. The design-to-print workflow is the research.

I’m developing a modified PolyJet workflow that connects AI-assisted geometry and material instructions with physical fabrication. It lets me explore the shape, internal mechanisms and distribution of hard and soft materials together.

The aim is to reduce the steps between a design change and a physical test—and eventually let the results guide more of the AI’s decisions.

What does the modified workflow enable?

It connects AI-generated design decisions to the geometry and material instructions used by the printer. A redesign can involve a different joint, a revised tendon path and a change in flexible regions within the same development process.

PolyJet already supports multimaterial printing and voxel-level material control. My work builds on those capabilities through an AI-assisted design-to-print workflow and physical testing.

I currently direct the design changes and carry out the tests. Motors and electronics remain external. A more autonomous cycle of simulation, printing, testing and redesign is the longer-term goal.

PolyJet platform background ↗

Behind the work

I’m Zeke, an industrial designer from Kauaʻi, now based in Wellington. I’m completing a Master of Design Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington, supervised by Ross Stevens.

More about me on LinkedIn
Enlarged selected work