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.
ReLeaf
Aerial Reforestation Using Autonomous Drones Context Desertification in Spain is a significant environmental issue driven by a combination of natural and human factors. Over 74% of Spain’s land is at risk of desertification, particularly in regions like Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia, and Castilla-La Mancha. For Spain, this is a massive problem as it leads to biodiversity … Read more
Rethinking the Skin
Carbon Based Design | Designing Circularity in the Built Environment Introduction The intensive five-day program centered on measuring the carbon footprint and investigating novel solutions for the upcoming IAAC building. The goal was to submit a solution that would reduce the carbon deposited in the building materials by 40 percent. To make things easier in the … Read more
BANDY2_2.0_Willow weaving
1 | INTRODUCTION What is willow weaving and why do it with a robot? Willow weaving as a robotic operation needs to be understood in context. Our archaeological records date bake basket weaving back over 14000 years, older than pottery. An ancient craft that is practiced today in virtually the same way that it has … Read more
PlayScape – A Pavilion Crafted with Robotic Fabrication and Irregular Timber Offcuts
Playscape is a pavilion designed for children, crafted through robotic fabrication and guided by the principles of discrete architecture. The project utilizes timber offcuts—irregular remnants from the construction industry—as the primary material, transforming waste into a functional and playful architectural form. For this workshop, the material provided consisted of irregular wooden beam offcuts which served … Read more
ROBOT-ASSISTED WEAVING + RAW MATERIALS / MRAC Workshop 1.2
Team member(s): Govind Chithrath, Santosh Shenbagamoorthy, Krystyn Kontos , Aleksandra Kraeva and Lauren DemingModified by Lauren Deming on November 24, 2024 Ultimately, the goal is to develop more efficient means for harvesting and utilizing low-carbon footprint alternatives for construction. Course Objective Project Abstract Autonomous Weaving with Raw Materials explores the intersection between weaving automation and the use of raw materials. After analyzing … Read more
Weaving Natural Materials – Breathing Curtain Wall
Introduction As part of the workshop led by Javier Fuentes and Moritz Dörstelmann the Chair of Digital Design and Fabrication (DDF) at the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), our team explored the potential of willow as an innovative material in architecture. This project merges sustainability, advanced design, and robotic technology to develop breathable and adaptive … Read more
Weaving Natural Materials / MRAC & MAA Workshop 1.2.
Introduction: This seminar invited students to explore weaving of natural materials with the help of a 6-axes robotic arm in order to create a physical woven module. Context: Weaving techniques have been around for thousands of years with various hand made small applications but now with digital fabrication tools we are able to implement those … Read more
Paint Bubble End Effector
The Hardware-I seminar explores different hardware tools for the purpose of making a custom end effector to be mounted on the robot flange. The objective of this end effector is to spill paint on a canvas. In our project, we aimed to control and precisely calibrate the smallest splash of paint possible by exploring one … Read more
Hardware I_Pressurized Balloon Spill Tool
Practical Introduction to Electronics (MRAC Hardware 01) Github: MRAC-IAAC/balloongun Objectives. The Hardware Module 1 is intended to give an overview of the state of the art in robotic actuation, discussing the practical implementation of such actuators, and brainstorm how these actuators and the robotic arms could bring new levels of versatility, agility and efficiency to … Read more
Hardware I End Effector: VibeInk.2000
1 | Impetus 2 | Concept The underlying phenomena that inspired the project were acoustic standing waves and cantilever vibrations. These principles represent the intricate interplay of physics in shaping patterns and movements in materials, serving as the foundation for the development of the device. By harnessing these phenomena, our project aims to explore novel … Read more
FLOWPRESS – Creating Patterns with Parameters
Introduction This seminar invites students to explore making custom made spillers controlled by Arduino and a 6-axes robotic arm in order to paint spills on canvas with black acrylic paint. Context Recently we have clearly observed immense changes in production, prototyping, and innovation that has been influenced by open source software, firmware and hardware. Human … Read more
Cork ReForm
Bio-Additive Manufacturing with Cork Topology optimisation – Arriving at an absolute Topology optimization is a shape optimization method that uses algorithmic models to optimize material layout within a user-defined space for a given set of loads, conditions, and constraints Topology optimisation maximizes the performance and efficiency of the design by removing redundant material from areas … Read more
BIO-ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING / MRAC Workshop 1.1
Cork-based 3d printing – Topological Optimisation Design Introduction The seminar invites students to explore new materials, additive processes and new fields of applications through robotic 3d printing taking advantage of the potential of the 6-axes of the robotic arm. Context Recently we have clearly observed immense changes in architectural design development. Architecture has been influenced … Read more
BANDY2_1.0_Cork based 3d printing: Non-Planar Additive Manufacturing
Testing the potential of cork as a construction material through non-planar 3D printing of computationally generated branching structures. INTRODUCTION Our investigation takes place against the backdrop of rapidly growing trends towards computational design tools and advanced construction methodologies. This investigation forms part of a 1 week workshop which focusses on additive manufacturing of biomaterials. In … Read more
Robotic Strategies in Construction
Computational Design for Digital and Robotic Fabrication Introduction The Software I module served as our introduction to understanding how designs produced on the computer translate into fabrication strategies that can be used by a robotic arms in various ways. The seminar was broken up into four exercises, each exercise involved a specific robotic operation and … Read more
Designing Dynamic Forms – Robotic Fabrication Techniques
Team member(s)：zeyu chao, Elizabeth.frias.martinez，Chi.Lee 3Dprint pavilion Introduction This project explores the large-scale robotic clay printing of a pavilion, with the geometry divided into four equal segments. The chosen geometry, Segment 1, was further developed into modular units to optimize the construction process. The modular approach allows for efficient fabrication and assembly, enhancing the structural and … Read more
3D printed pavilion – CNC Milling wave wall
1 | Introduction and Geometry selection This exercise is based on large-scale geometry to be printed in clay. It is divided into 6 equal segments. After running many tests, we realized that the 90 degrees joinery in the model was very complex to work with (in the creation of the inner and outer shell), and … Read more
Computational Design Strategies for Robotic Fabrication
The Software-I seminar introduces computational design strategies for robotic fabrication, focusing on the software aspects of these processes. The following exercises cover different manufacturing strategies that translate digital models into buildable forms through precise toolpath development and simulation. These include an end-to-end process from conceptual design to the generation of fabrication files for robotic systems, … Read more
Timber Narratives
Building on the principles of disassembly explored last semester, this phase of the Timber Narratives project delves deeper into advanced data-driven design strategies. We now capture and utilize timber colour values through enhanced scanning technologies, integrating this data into our designs. Additionally, we’ve implemented machine learning with logistic regression for precise categorization of timber for … Read more
BENDATA
MATERIAL DATA DRIVEN STRATEGIES “BENDATA” explores how a material-informed strategy can control the bending of irregular leftover wood for bespoke architectural applications. Tackling wood leftovers, the research bypasses standardization by co-designing with nature, using post-tension bending, to achieve mass-customization. By listening to wood via a microphone during milling, material information is revealed to inform the … Read more
ReWeave_3.0
Abstract: The ReWeave project develops a robotic system to repurpose construction and demolition (C&D) waste into functional, attractive walls, enhancing human-robot collaboration. We created a database by scanning broken tiles to extract shape, size, and color information, then developed custom nesting algorithms to optimize tile arrangement. The workflow includes scanning tiles, exporting outlines via ROS, … Read more
MURO DE AGUA
INTRO This study investigates innovative joinery solutions for modular evaporative cooling systems using 3D printed clay. With the rising global temperatures and subsequent increased demand for energy-consuming air conditioning systems, there is a crucial need for sustainable cooling alternatives. The research focuses on addressing the challenges of material shrinkage and joinery reliability in 3D printed … Read more
