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.
OBJECTIVE Understand the anatomy of the hand-drawn brushstrokes During the first phase of this exercise we were tasked with studying the essence of a paint brush stroke. This involved understanding the tool itself: the flexibility of the hair, the viscosity of the paint, and the length of a stroke before the paint is finished. We … Read more
INTRO As part of the “Anatomy of a Machine – Shape” course, we engaged in an exercise that explores the possibilities of robotic material manipulation through various tools and techniques. Our objective was to research and experiment with sustainable, accessible, and locally available materials, applying scientific and creative principles to produce unique prototypes. This process … Read more
Brasil is the seventh biggest productor of Cacao worldwide and 60% of its production is from family agriculture located in the states of Pará and South of Bahia. The Chocolate Supply Chain produces substantial amounts of waste, specifically the Cacao Pod Husk and the Cacao Seed Shell. The process of producing the Chocolate goes from … Read more
SITE PLAN & ANALYSIS STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS The building has a total footprint of about 50 meters per 37 meters. The typical grid is of 8.4m, and becomes smaller towards the edge of the slabs. The core is centered with the grid and it is of about 16,8m x 12,6m. It occupies about the 12-15% of … Read more
Context Architecture, in general, is the least optimized industry. This results in more workload and less output. Hence the productivity rate is negative 1.4. In the furniture industry, even loose or modular furniture, typically expected to have quicker turnaround times faces significant delays due to the manual nature of customization and the complexity of matching … Read more
An Intersectional Investigation Robotics is the field of study focused on the research and application of robotic systems. This definition, however, doesn’t provide much insight. So, what is a robot? Robots are machines that can operate autonomously or through programmed input to perform specific tasks, often replacing human effort. These tasks are typically complex and … Read more
Supply Chain Opportunity to Solve The immense volume of organic waste generated by Brazil’s agricultural and food industries, including residues from cocoa, açaí, Brazil nuts, passion fruit, cupuaçu, buriti, and murumuru, represents a significant untapped resource. These byproducts, often discarded without proper utilization, contribute to environmental challenges and economic losses. Many of the companies highlighted, … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR BESPOKE ACOUSTIC DIFFUSER DESIGN A considerable amount of construction and wood waste is generated each year, mostly landfilled or burned for energy, contributing to severe environmental effects. The management of this waste is a significant challenge as it is often not suitable for secondary use. In this context, the circular economy concept … Read more
State of the Art and Minimum Value Proposition There is an overstocking of small to medium trees over Europe due to poor firing and soil cultivation conditions, most of this trees have the diameter of 10-25 cm and depending on the species and cultivation conditions some of then are crooked and can’t be used by … Read more
