The Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction (MRAC) seeks to train a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals who are capable of facing our growing need for a more sustainable and optimised construction ecosystem. The Master is focused on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems.
Through a mixture of seminars, workshops, and studio projects, the master programme challenges the traditional processes in the Construction Sector. It investigates how advances in robotics and digital fabrication tools change the way we build and develop processes and design tools for such new production methods.
The Context Aim State Of The Art The Workflow System Architecture Robotic Cell Scanning – Robotic cell Scanning Nesting – Initial Experiments Nesting Custom logic Iteration A Nesting Custom logic Iteration B Binder – Geopolymer with alkaline activators – Sodium silicate Binder – Geopolymer with alkaline activators – Sodium silicate and Sodium hydroxide Binder – … Read more
Aim To explore innovative parametric tiling designs through the utilization of robotic tiling setups. The project aim is to utilize the functions of COMPAS framework and its extensions for robotic planning. Also, to incorporate computer vision and scanning information into the tiling process to enhance precision and efficiency. Design Logic Inspired by the idea of … Read more
AIM DESIGN The three distinct design methodologies we explored employed grayscale image mapping, where the gray areas functioned as attractors and filters for colored circles. Our second experiment focused on employing curves as generators for the spatial arrangement and packing of a variety of larger circles. The third methodology extended our exploration to the incorporation … Read more
This project documents a 1-week workshop that introduced students to the COMPAS framework. Our goal was to design a tile mosaic that would be part of a collaborative pick-and-place workflow with the UR5, incorporating COMPAS Fab, Kangaroo (Grasshopper), and ROS. What is COMPAS? Utilizing the COMPAS framework developed by Gramazio Kohler Research and the larger … Read more
This project explores how serial data written by environmental sensors can control and influence the appearance of digital media. The outcome of Serial Link was a wearable device that incorporates a ESP32, Gyroscope, ultrasonic sensor, and a power bank that can control digital media in touch designer through network access. What is serial data?Utilizing the … Read more
Albert, is a rock-paper-scissors robotic hand designed to serve as a playing partner for the rock-paper-scissors game, aiming to bridge human-robot interaction. Rock-paper-scissors is a universally understood game, known for its simplicity and effectiveness in decision-making. Our objective was to establish a unified language between a robot and a human by humanizing the robot. We … Read more
State of the Art In recent decades, kinetic facades have surfaced as innovative architectural elements, offering alternative building envelopes tailored to address escalating and intricate demands related to user comfort, energy consumption, and cost efficiency. Various articulations of this concept have been advanced, encompassing approaches that span from the integration of inventive components to the … Read more
ROBOTIC SOLUTIONS FOR 3D SPACE ANALYSIS AIM This workshop ran in collaboration with Noumena and IAAC where we were introduced to a environmental scanning and data processing workflows which combined the use of photogrammetry and point-cloud data. The site of the study was at IAAC’s new building which is yet to be constructed. From this … Read more
Aim The main objective is to generate a new formation of point cloud of the new IAAC building, that is inspired from a style (Artistic /Architectural) using AI / Machine learning and change the existing point cloud with the the new stylized point cloud. State of The Art Image-to-image translation is a class of vision … Read more
Brief Our aim in this project was to generate real time mapping with object detection and object avoidance with a Turtle_bot using ROS. Embracing Ubuntu and creating workspaces alongside docker, we were able to create a system which allowed us to map an environment and find obstacles within. From this we were curious into what … Read more
Context I-P_Maper(Intersection Point Mapper) is a project based on ROS and scanning. It mainly focuses on controlling the robot tool path to scan and get the data we want. Given the time constraints, we maximized our efforts and performed a series of tests in order to develop a program that could accurately identify up to … Read more
State of the Art Raw Timber and AEC Industry Wood waste is often disregarded in the wood industry and the construction industry. Majority of wood used in construction is sawn and processed wood that not only generates waste on its production but it is also associated with high CO2 emissions, because of the embodied energy … Read more
This research study delves into the realm of advanced robotics and semi-automated manufacturing processes that take into account the material properties of cork. Specifically, it explores the design and fabrication of a surface system that is optimized for both aesthetic appeal and functional performance. Building on the knowledge gained in a previous term on robotic … Read more
Context Additive manufacturing is growing exponentially in many industries at many levels, pushing towards new upgrades as a competitive alternative by reducing its logistic and production costs and increasing its flexibility and adaptability to the market’s demand. However, there is still an important challenge that it is facing: a gap on matching references between physical … Read more
The construction industry creates a waste that is expected to reach 2.2 billion tons globally by 2025 (Transparency market research). Because of this the market started trying different new techniques to construct with less waste, that is how with the 4.0 industrial revolution came the Additive manufacturing process, that fabricates physical 3D objects layer by … Read more
This project is looking to be a tool that allow the monitoring, messure and documentation of the AM process at the moment of the printing with the help of conventional cameras, analog sensors, robot Data and open source technology Limitless project use different technology process to adquire information and process it. After the creation of … Read more
An interactive art installation that utilizes thermal imaging and real-time animation to create a captivating visual experience. The general aim of the project “Thermal Rhythm” was to generate an interactive art-wall in complete darkness which translates the human body movements into animations that controls or visualizes the emotions of the detected person through different colors … Read more
During the seminar, we explored the core concepts of ROS (Robotic Operating System), its vital tools, and the seamless integration of Python for interacting with robots. With this integration, we effortlessly processed sensor data and exercised control over the UR10e robot, which served as our platform for the seminar. Through practical exercises, we gained hands-on … Read more
The efficient utilization of forestry products plays a vital role in sustaining industries such as construction and furniture manufacturing. To meet the demands of mass production, raw materials undergo a process of standardization, enabling streamlined operations and increased output. However, this standardization process results in the generation of valuable by-products such as planar offcuts. These … Read more
