Table Of ContentSpringer Wien New York
www.robarch2012.org
[email protected]
Editors:
Sigrid Brell-Çokcan, Johannes Braumann
Association for Robots in Architecture
www.robotsinarchitecture.org
Funded by KUKA Robotics and
the Association for Robots in Architecture
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are re-
served, whether the whole or part of the material is
concerned, specifically those of translation, reprint-
ing, re-use of illustrations, broadcasting, reproduc-
tion by photocopying machines or similar means,
and storage in data banks.
Product Liability: The publisher can give no guaran-
tee for all the information contained in this book.
The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in
this publication does not imply, even in the absence
of a specific statement, that such names are ex-
empt from the relevant protective laws and regula-
tions and therefore free for general use.
© 2013 Springer-Verlag/Wien
SpringerWienNewYork is part of
Springer Science+Business Media
springer.at
Editing:
James Roderick O’Donovan
Design Concept and Cover:
Toledo i Dertschei
Layout:
Marko Tomicic
Printing:
Holzhausen Druck GmbH, 1140 Wien, Austria
Printed on acid-free and chlorine-free bleached paper
SPIN 86175717
With 445 coloured figures.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012953005
ISBN 978-3-7091-1464-3 SpringerWienNewYork
Sigrid Brell-Çokcan
Johannes Braumann (Eds.)
Rob I Arch 2012
Robotic
Fabrication
in
Architecture,
Art, and
Design
Introduction
Sigrid Brell-Çokcan, Johannes Braumann 8
Keynotes
Digital by Material 12
Envisioning an extended performative materiality
in the digital age of architecture
Jan Willmann, Fabio Gramazio, Matthias Kohler, Silke Langenberg
Morphospaces of Robotic Fabrication 28
From theoretical morphology to design computation
and digital fabrication in architecture
Achim Menges
Workshops
Robotically Fabricated Wood Plate Morphologies 48
Robotic prefabrication of a biomimetic, geometrically differentiated,
lightweight, finger joint timber plate structure
Tobias Schwinn, Oliver David Krieg, Achim Menges
Processes for an Architecture of Volume: Robotic Wire Cutting 62
Robotic wire cutting
Wes McGee, Jelle Feringa, Asbjørn Søndergaard
Augmented Fabrications 72
A new control model for synchronous robotics
Brandon Kruysman, Jonathan Proto
Interlacing 82
An experimental approach to integrating digital and physical design
methods
Kathrin Dörfler, Florian Rist, Romana Rust
HAL 92
Extension of a visual programming language to support teaching
and research on robotics applied to construction
Thibault Schwartz
BrickDesign 102
A software for planning robotically controlled
non-standard brick assemblies
Tobias Bonwetsch, Ralph Bärtschi, Matthias Helmreich
Mill to Fit 110
The Robarch
Andreas Trummer, Felix Amtsberg, Stefan Peters
Design Robotics 118
Towards strategic design experiments
Martin Bechthold, Nathan King
Projects
Fabricating the Steel Bull of Spielberg 130
Clemens Neugebauer, Martin Kölldorfer
Morphfaux 138
Recovering architectural plaster by developing custom robotic tools
Joshua Bard, Steven Mankouche, Matthew Schulte
Protocols, Pathways, and Production 142
David Pigram, Iain Maxwell, Wes McGee, Ben Hagenhofer-Daniell, L auren
Vasey
From Digital Design to Automated Production 148
Complex-shaped concrete sub-constructions with steel reinforcement
Jens Cortsen, Silvan Oesterle, Dorthe Sølvason, Hanno Stehling
Robot Assisted Asymmetric Incremental Sheet Forming 154
Surface quality and path planning
Jan Brüninghaus, Carsten Krewet, Bernd Kuhlenkötter
CNSILK 160
Spider-silk inspired robotic fabrication of woven habitats
Elizabeth Tsai, Michal Firstenberg, Jared Laucks, Yoav Sterman,
Benjamin Lehnert, Neri Oxman
Rhino2krl 166
A simple CAD to robot interface for fast process prototyping
Tom Pawlofsky
Robotic Fabrication for Düzce Teknopark 172
Streamlining fabrication through versatile machines
Baris Çokcan
Free Molding Technology 174
Yaron Elyasi
Outside Itself 180
Interactive installation assembled by robotic
machines untouched by human hands
Federico Díaz
Research
Geometry Optimization 184
Realization of fluid-form structure composed of spherical components,
fabricated by means of computer software and robotic arms
Lukáš Kurilla, Ladislav Svoboda
Robotic Pouring of Aggregate Structures 196
Responsive motion planning strategies for online robot control of
granular pouring processes with synthetic macro-scale particles
Karola Dierichs, Tobias Schwinn, Achim Menges
Magnetic Architecture 206
Generative design through sensoric robots
Alexandre Dubor, Gabriel-Bello Díaz
Automating Eclipsis 214
Automated robotic fabrication of custom optimized metal façade s y s tems
Nathan King, Jonathan Grinham
Irregular Substrate Tiling 222
The robotic poché
Ryan Luke Johns, Nicholas Foley
RoboSculpt 230
Unique molds for design with minimal waste
Mathew Schwartz, Jason Prasad
The Framed Pavilion 238
Modeling and producing complex systems in architectural education
Richard Dank, Christian Freissling
Augmented Reality and the Fabrication of Gestural Form 248
Ryan Luke Johns
Robotic Immaterial Fabrication 256
Steven Keating, Neri Oxman
Industry
KUKA: Innovations in Industrial Robotics 266
Alois Buchstab
splineTEX 274
Architectural composite materials
Valentine Troi
Industrial Robots in Architecture 278
Trends and innovations from ABB
David Kittl, Martin Kohlmaier
Revolution in Steel Beam Fabrication 282
Andreas Hofer
21st Century Art: The Marriage of Inspiration and Innovation 286
Robots evolve to become the artist´s high-performance tool
Manfred Hübschmann, David Arceneaux
Modular Robotics 292
From individual modules to complex robotic structures
Christian Binder
New Perspectives for Architecture and Design 296
Fabrication using robotic machining centers
Alfred Kaser
Parametric Robot Control without CAD/CAM 300
Dynamically generated parametric robot commands for the
fabrication of pneumatic cylinders
Eric Dokulil
A Custom Robotic Trimmer for Modern Timber Constructions 304
Michael Bauer
Rapid On-site Fabrication of customized Freeform Metal c ladding 308
Panels
Robotic devices in shipping containers shifting from research to
state-of-the-art
Peter Mehrtens
List of Contributors 316
Rob|Arch: Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art, and Design
Sigrid Brell-Çokcan, Johannes Braumann
Introduction
Rob|Arch: Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art, and Design
Towards Robots in Architecture multi-functionality and their low price: in-
stead of having to develop specialized ma-
Architects have been fascinated by robots chines, a multifunctional robot arm can be
for many decades, from “Chantier de Con- equipped with a wide range of end-effec-
struction Électrique”, Villemard’s utopian tors, similar to a human hand using various
vision of an architect building a house with tools. Furthermore, due to their prevalence
robotic labor in 1910, to the design of build- in industry, these robots are not prototypi-
ings that are robots themselves, such as cal machines, but certified, reliable, and
Archigram’s Walking City. In the 1980s and increasingly affordable, today costing 70%
1990s it briefly seemed as if robots had fi- less than the average price in the 1990s.
nally arrived in architecture, when the Japa- General research into industrial
nese construction industry started using robots has been going on since the 1950s as
highly customized robots for high-rise con- an interdisciplinary effort involving mostly
struction. However, amid the turmoil of Ja- mechanical and electrical engineers, as well
pan’s financial problems in the 1990s these as computer scientists and mathemati-
experiments were discontinued. Many later cians to deal with various aspects, from
robotic projects were performed in a purely kinematic calculations to the design of ef-
virtual environment, as architects were un- ficient motors. This has led to a wide range
able to transform their theories into a phys- of industrial robots, from desktop-sized
ical output. small robots with a carrying weight of a few
Today, architects, artists and kilograms to massive machines capable of
designers are again approaching the topic lifting a car chassis.
of robotic fabrication but with a different Therefore, architectural research
strategy: Instead of utopian proposals like into robotics is not so much directed at rein-
Archigram’s or highly specialized robots venting machines for architectural fabrica-
like the ones that were used in Japan, the tion, but rather at re-using industrial robots
current focus of architectural robotics is as a well-established basis and adapting
industrial robots. These robotic arms have them for architectural purposes by devel-
six degrees of freedom and are widely used oping custom software interfaces and end-
in industry, especially for automotive pro- effectors.
duction lines. What makes robotic arms so
interesting for the creative industry is their
8
Introduction
Pioneering Work Rob|Arch
While the use of industrial robots in the Robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and
construction industry was explored by re- design is a relatively young discipline, whose
searchers as early as the 1980s, pioneer- focus is on applied research, performed on
ing work was done at ETH Zurich by Fabio the one hand by young designers, artists
Gramazio and Matthias Kohler, whose and researchers from the “digital genera-
projects such as the Gantenbein Vineyard tion” and on the other by innovative firms
Façade showed that robotic arms are not and startups, researching applications that
only capable of replicating human labor, but go beyond typical industry solutions. This
can perform fabrication strategies that are is reflected in the structure of this book,
outside the scope of human labor. which does not consist solely of full-length
That was in 2006. In the past six scientific papers but has four distinct sec-
years, more than 20 architecture faculties tions: workshop papers, research papers,
around the globe have acquired industrial project papers, and industry papers.
robots and are actively researching new and
innovative uses for these multifunctional Workshop Papers
machines, among them the University of
Stuttgart, whose research pavilions have One of the centerpieces of the Rob|Arch
been published worldwide by architectural conference is the robot workshops, orga-
and mainstream media. nized by ETH Zurich, University of Stuttgart,
At the end of 2010, the As- TU Delft, TU Vienna, TU Graz, Harvard GSD,
sociation for Robots in Architecture was SciArc, and HAL/Robots in Architecture. For
founded, with the goal of making industrial the first time, these internationally recog-
robots accessible to the creative industry. nized institutions are opening their robotic
We pursue that goal with a dual strategy, labs and allowing participants to take part
on the one hand by developing custom tools in their exciting research.
for accessible robot control, which later re- These workshops are not reca-
sulted in e.g. KUKA|prc, and on the other pitulations of existing work, but contain
hand by acting as an open platform for art- new ideas that were developed for this
ists, designers, researchers, technicians, and conference and are published in this book.
corporations involved in creative robotic Stuttgart’s workshop contribution builds
fabrication. upon the joining technology that was ini-
The idea of organizing the first in- tially developed for the research pavilion,
ternational conference dedicated to robots and the influence of biomimetic design
in architecture, art, and design emerged in strategies, while the ETH’s workshop paper
mid-2011 and has since then met with an shows how their robotic bricklaying algo-
extremely positive feedback from both uni- rithm has evolved into an accessible design
versities and industry partners. tool. New interfaces are also a significant
topic for most of the other workshop paper:
Thibault Schwartz presents a versatile tool
9
