Robotic Feedback Loops: Implementing two-way communication in architecturally focused robotic pick and place operations

<p>The use of robots in the fabrication of complex architectural structures is increasing in popularity. However, architectural robotic workflows still require convoluted and time-consuming programming in order to execute complex fabrication tasks. Additionally, an inability for robots to adapt to different environments further highlights concerns around the robotic manipulator as a primary construction tool. There are four key issues currently present in robotic fabrication for architectural applications. Firstly, an inability to adapt to unknown environments; Secondly, a lack of autonomous decision making; Thirdly, an inability to locate, recognise, and then manipulate objects in the operating environment; Fourthly a lack of error detection if a motion instruction conflicts with environmental constraints. This research begins to resolve these critical issues by seeking to integrate a feedback loop in a robotic system to improve perception, interaction and manipulation of objects in a robotic working environment. Attempts to achieve intelligence and autonomy in static robotic systems have seen limited success. Primarily, research into these issues has originated from the need to adapt existing robotic processes to architectural applications. The work of Gramazio and Kohler Research, specifically ‘on-site mobile fabrication’ and ‘autonomous robotic stone stacking’, present the current state of the art in intelligent architectural robotic systems and begin to develop solutions to the issues previously outlined. However, the limitations of Gramazio and Kohler’s research, specifically around a lack of perception-controlled grasping, offers an opportunity for this research to begin developing relevant solutions to the outlined issues. This research proposes a system where blocks, of consistent dimensions, are randomly distributed within the robotic working environment. The robot establishes the location and pose (position and orientation) of the blocks through an adaptive inclusion test. The test involves subsampling a point-cloud into a consistent grid; filtering points based on their height above the ground plane in order to establish block surfaces, and matching these surfaces to a CAD model for improved accuracy. The resulting matched surfaces are used to determine four points which define the object rotation plane and centre point. The robot uses the centre point, and the quaternion rotation angle to execute motion and grasping instructions. The robot is instructed to repeat the perception process until the collection of all the blocks within the camera frame is complete, and a preprogrammed wall is built. The implementation of a robotic feedback loop in this way demonstrates both the future potential and success of this research. The research begins to develop pathways through which to integrate new types of technologies such as machine learning and deep learning in order to improve the accuracy, speed and reliability of perception-controlled robotic systems through learned behaviours.</p>

Robotic Feedback Loops: Implementing two-way communication in architecturally focused robotic pick and place operations

<p>The use of robots in the fabrication of complex architectural structures is increasing in popularity. However, architectural robotic workflows still require convoluted and time-consuming programming in order to execute complex fabrication tasks. Additionally, an inability for robots to adapt to different environments further highlights concerns around the robotic manipulator as a primary construction tool. There are four key issues currently present in robotic fabrication for architectural applications. Firstly, an inability to adapt to unknown environments; Secondly, a lack of autonomous decision making; Thirdly, an inability to locate, recognise, and then manipulate objects in the operating environment; Fourthly a lack of error detection if a motion instruction conflicts with environmental constraints. This research begins to resolve these critical issues by seeking to integrate a feedback loop in a robotic system to improve perception, interaction and manipulation of objects in a robotic working environment. Attempts to achieve intelligence and autonomy in static robotic systems have seen limited success. Primarily, research into these issues has originated from the need to adapt existing robotic processes to architectural applications. The work of Gramazio and Kohler Research, specifically ‘on-site mobile fabrication’ and ‘autonomous robotic stone stacking’, present the current state of the art in intelligent architectural robotic systems and begin to develop solutions to the issues previously outlined. However, the limitations of Gramazio and Kohler’s research, specifically around a lack of perception-controlled grasping, offers an opportunity for this research to begin developing relevant solutions to the outlined issues. This research proposes a system where blocks, of consistent dimensions, are randomly distributed within the robotic working environment. The robot establishes the location and pose (position and orientation) of the blocks through an adaptive inclusion test. The test involves subsampling a point-cloud into a consistent grid; filtering points based on their height above the ground plane in order to establish block surfaces, and matching these surfaces to a CAD model for improved accuracy. The resulting matched surfaces are used to determine four points which define the object rotation plane and centre point. The robot uses the centre point, and the quaternion rotation angle to execute motion and grasping instructions. The robot is instructed to repeat the perception process until the collection of all the blocks within the camera frame is complete, and a preprogrammed wall is built. The implementation of a robotic feedback loop in this way demonstrates both the future potential and success of this research. The research begins to develop pathways through which to integrate new types of technologies such as machine learning and deep learning in order to improve the accuracy, speed and reliability of perception-controlled robotic systems through learned behaviours.</p>

Cutting Edge Fabrication: Investigating Timber Sheet Materials with Robotic Fabrication

<p>Timber sheet materials have been used in the same manner for decades despite having a vital role in the construction industry. This often results in indistinguishable surfaces with no identity. The research developed in this thesis is the creation of a workflow to create a self-supporting structure from sheet materials using robotic fabrication and computational tools. Timber sheet materials is the key focus for this research, as timber is a material that can be altered in a variety of ways. Japanese timber connections were a strong influence for this research, due to its prolonged life span and sustainable advantages. In the past, timber fabrication techniques have been limited due to design limitations. Current technology, specifically parametric software combined with the robotic arm was explored to find how it can create timber connections to connect sheet materials at different angles. This method was utilised to repurpose the concept of sheet materials towards a complex structure, which adopted the idea of mass customisation over mass production. Prototypes of timber connections were created to develop an outcome that will structurally support itself. The outcome of each prototype was evaluated and compared with one another to establish which connection would be most suited to bring forward to the self-supporting structure. Computational simulations were used to explore individual structures which created panels that were automatically flattened in the software. This allowed the digital file to be transferred to the robotic arm to be milled. Using the robotic arm was an advantage, as it can rotate around six-axis giving multiple degrees of design freedom which broadened the range of construction techniques that can be used with sheet materials. There is a high chance of human error with manual labour, therefore precision is a positive attribute of the robotic arm. The precision helped minimise waste compared to manual labour. This thesis presented an opportunity for the design/construction industry to adopt a new workflow to bring leading-edge technology to focus on sustainable materials and to steer away from the repetitions evident in buildings today.</p>

Cutting Edge Fabrication: Investigating Timber Sheet Materials with Robotic Fabrication

<p>Timber sheet materials have been used in the same manner for decades despite having a vital role in the construction industry. This often results in indistinguishable surfaces with no identity. The research developed in this thesis is the creation of a workflow to create a self-supporting structure from sheet materials using robotic fabrication and computational tools. Timber sheet materials is the key focus for this research, as timber is a material that can be altered in a variety of ways. Japanese timber connections were a strong influence for this research, due to its prolonged life span and sustainable advantages. In the past, timber fabrication techniques have been limited due to design limitations. Current technology, specifically parametric software combined with the robotic arm was explored to find how it can create timber connections to connect sheet materials at different angles. This method was utilised to repurpose the concept of sheet materials towards a complex structure, which adopted the idea of mass customisation over mass production. Prototypes of timber connections were created to develop an outcome that will structurally support itself. The outcome of each prototype was evaluated and compared with one another to establish which connection would be most suited to bring forward to the self-supporting structure. Computational simulations were used to explore individual structures which created panels that were automatically flattened in the software. This allowed the digital file to be transferred to the robotic arm to be milled. Using the robotic arm was an advantage, as it can rotate around six-axis giving multiple degrees of design freedom which broadened the range of construction techniques that can be used with sheet materials. There is a high chance of human error with manual labour, therefore precision is a positive attribute of the robotic arm. The precision helped minimise waste compared to manual labour. This thesis presented an opportunity for the design/construction industry to adopt a new workflow to bring leading-edge technology to focus on sustainable materials and to steer away from the repetitions evident in buildings today.</p>

The Bionic Hand: Augmenting the Manual and the Digital

<p>The tension between the hand and machine is currently at the core of one of architecture’s biggest debates. Pallasmaa and the firm Kieran Timberlake, for example, hold very different positions on this spectrum, both with a significant following. Kieran Timberlake, who designed Loblolly House, use digital design and construction methods to discover new construction techniques for a globalised world. The capacity of parametric software, 3D printing, and robotic fabrication has been rapidly advancing in the last decade. They are opening the possibilities of new sculptural forms, more efficient construction processes, and alternative forms of detailing and ornamentation. In contrast, Pallasmaa uses ‘the thinking hand’ to draw out intimacy: nooks, irregularities, material richness, and handcraft that invite the user into a closer relationship with architecture. Hand drawing and hand making are crucial to Pallasmaa’s goals: intimacy exists in both the design process and the final form of architecture. The design process is not as divisive as famous pillars at each end of the spectrum imply. In this work, I explore: how can emerging technologies and ‘the thinking hand’ complement each other? And how might the ‘bionic hand’ inform both intimacy and efficiency? I explored this through designing a six-unit housing project in the Wellington suburb of Hataitai. The site is next to Roger Walker’s maze of intimate moments, Park Mews. I approached design through hand and digital processes. My main intention was to document a design process that integrates hand and digital techniques, showing one way an exchange between them could occur. I aimed to combine efficiency and intimacy, through exploring digital and hand techniques. This resulted in findings of the possibilities of the bionic hand in both the form and formation of architecture, the design’s place in the context of New Zealand suburbia and its place in the discipline.</p>

The Bionic Hand: Augmenting the Manual and the Digital

<p>The tension between the hand and machine is currently at the core of one of architecture’s biggest debates. Pallasmaa and the firm Kieran Timberlake, for example, hold very different positions on this spectrum, both with a significant following. Kieran Timberlake, who designed Loblolly House, use digital design and construction methods to discover new construction techniques for a globalised world. The capacity of parametric software, 3D printing, and robotic fabrication has been rapidly advancing in the last decade. They are opening the possibilities of new sculptural forms, more efficient construction processes, and alternative forms of detailing and ornamentation. In contrast, Pallasmaa uses ‘the thinking hand’ to draw out intimacy: nooks, irregularities, material richness, and handcraft that invite the user into a closer relationship with architecture. Hand drawing and hand making are crucial to Pallasmaa’s goals: intimacy exists in both the design process and the final form of architecture. The design process is not as divisive as famous pillars at each end of the spectrum imply. In this work, I explore: how can emerging technologies and ‘the thinking hand’ complement each other? And how might the ‘bionic hand’ inform both intimacy and efficiency? I explored this through designing a six-unit housing project in the Wellington suburb of Hataitai. The site is next to Roger Walker’s maze of intimate moments, Park Mews. I approached design through hand and digital processes. My main intention was to document a design process that integrates hand and digital techniques, showing one way an exchange between them could occur. I aimed to combine efficiency and intimacy, through exploring digital and hand techniques. This resulted in findings of the possibilities of the bionic hand in both the form and formation of architecture, the design’s place in the context of New Zealand suburbia and its place in the discipline.</p>

Experimental investigation on the effect of accelerated ageing conditions on the pull-out capacity of compressed wood and hardwood dowel type fasteners

The widespread use of adhesives in timber construction has negative implications for the end-of-life disposal or re-use of the structural timber components. To promote the circular bioeconomy, it is preferable to substitute adhesives with more sustainable alternatives such as wood-based connectors. Today, robotic fabrication technologies facilitate the development of dowel-laminated timber (DLT) products whereby hardwood dowels are used to connect timber laminates as a substitute to adhesives. In recent years, thermo-mechanical densification of wood has resulted in significant improvements in the mechanical performance of the wood. This modified product often termed compressed wood (CW) has a shape-recovery effect which may be beneficial for the development of DLT products and timber-timber connections with improved friction fit with time. To test the hypothesis, accelerated ageing tests were carried out on CW-timber and hardwood-timber dowel type connections subjected to variable climate conditions. Finally, the capacity of the connections or friction fit was assessed using pull-out tests. Results show that the shape-recovery effect leads to the continuous expansion of the CW dowels and facilitates a friction fit with the timber substrate yielding higher pull-out loads when compared to hardwood dowels.

Parametric design of an additively manufactured building facade for bespoke response to solar radiation

The building construction industry is adapting Additive Manufacturing (AM) and robotic fabrication techniques to, among other efficiency and cost benefits, reduce the lifecycle Green House Gas (GHG) emissions of new buildings. This research aims to fabricate a low- GHG emission façade by encoding environmental performance using a combination of material selection, AM techniques, and bespoke geometry. This paper presents the design methodology, specifically the response to solar radiation (i.e. shading and daylight transmission). The key contribution of this publication is establishing the digital fabrication process of AM facades: beginning with performative parametric design, using empirical Bi-directional Scattering Distribution Function (BSDF) data of AM thermoplastic elements for daylight simulation to assess performance, and finally optimising the topology for a specific context (location and orientation).