CoFAB: An Integrated Human-AI Collaboration Prototyping and Fabrication System for Designers in Early Design Stages

The rapid development of generative AI is fundamentally and revolutionally transforming design workflows. However, significant technical and cognitive barriers still exist in translating conceptual ideas into digital and physical prototypes. Existing AI tools inadequately support the comprehensive design-to-fabrication process, particularly for designers without extensive technical backgrounds. This research introduces an innovative prototyping workflow that strategically integrates generative AI, parametric modeling platforms, and robotic fabrication systems to mitigate these challenges and streamline design translation. The study focuses on the reconfiguration of designer-fabrication tool interactions through developing a novel intelligent system driven by natural language interfaces. By employing a mixed approach combining user surveys, workflow analysis, and comparative experimental design, the research comprehensively evaluates the system's impact on task completion efficiency, operational complexity reduction, and creative exploration. The developed end-to-end prototyping platform enables designers to generate fabrication-ready models through intuitive natural language instructions, facilitating a seamless transition from conceptualization to physical prototype.