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Cell states evolve through the combined activity of signaling pathways and gene networks. While transcription factors can direct cell fate, these factors rely on a receptive cell state. How signaling levels contribute to the emergence of receptive cell states remains poorly defined. Using a well-defined model of direct conversion, we examined how levels of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-activating oncogene HRASG12V influence direct conversion of primary fibroblasts to induced motor neurons. The rates of direct conversion respond biphasically to increasing HRASG12V levels. An optimal “Goldilocks” level of MAPK signaling efficiently drives cell-fate programming, whereas high levels of HRASG12V induce senescence. Through chemogenetic tuning, we set the optimal MAPK activity for high rates of conversion in the absence of HRAS mutants. In addition to proliferation, MAPK signaling influences conversion by regulating Ngn2 activity. Our results highlight the need to tune therapeutic interventions within a non-monotonic landscape that is shaped by genetics and levels of gene expression. 

Multi-material 3D printing combines the functional properties of different materials (e.g., mechanical, electrical, color) within a single object that is fabricated without manual assembly. However, this presents sustainability challenges as multi-material objects cannot be easily recycled. Because each material has a different processing temperature, considerable effort must be used to separate them for recycling. This paper presents a computational fabrication technique to generate dissolvable interfaces between different materials in a 3D printed object without affecting the object’s intended use. When the interfaces are dissolved, the object is disassembled to enable recycling of the individual materials. We describe the computational design of these interfaces alongside experimental evaluations of their strength and water solubility. Finally, we demonstrate our technique across 9 multi-material 3D printed objects of varying structural and functional complexity. Our technique enables us to recycle 89.97% of the total mass of these objects, promoting greater sustainability in 3D printing. 

Developing whole-body tactile skins for robots remains a challenging task, as existing solutions often prioritize modular, one-size-fits-all designs, which, while versatile, fail to account for the robot’s specific shape and the unique demands of its operational context. In this work, we introduce GenTact Toolbox, a computational pipeline for creating versatile wholebody tactile skins tailored to both robot shape and application domain. Our method includes procedural mesh generation for conforming to a robot’s topology, task-driven simulation to refine sensor distribution, and multi-material 3D printing for shape-agnostic fabrication. We validate our approach by creating and deploying six capacitive sensing skins on a Franka Research 3 robot arm in a human-robot interaction scenario. This work represents a shift from “one-size-fits-all” tactile sensors toward context-driven, highly adaptable designs that can be customized for a wide range of robotic systems and applications. The project website is available at https://hiro-group.ronc.one/gentacttoolbox