@PHDTHESIS{20.500.11850/518815, copyright = {In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted}, year = {2021}, type = {Doctoral Thesis}, author = {Ma, Zhao}, size = {187 p.}, abstract = {While the utilization of robot arms has increased since the construction industry began to deploy robotic technologies for digital fabrication processes, a pipeline is missing for fabrication-aware design as the abstraction of complex, contradictory constraints for the designer is not evident. %the non-standard characteristics of building components still pose major challenges that require flexible and adaptable robotic fabrication strategies. Additional geometric complexity, material properties, etc. also contribute to the overall difficulties for fabricating the designated piece successfully without any collisions or structural failure. Through the development of two projects focusing on different aspects of robotic fabrication, this dissertation identifies various limitations related to the overall design-to-fabrication process and categorizes them into different types of constraints. It is observed that many of the constraints occurred within one fabrication task are usually intertwined and cannot be decoupled, which requires integrated computational strategies to resolve. By adopting available methods in the computer graphics field that address geometry and material, this dissertation presents a series of optimization-based strategies in the context of two specific research projects, targeting geometry processing and path planning for robotic fabrication. Its aim is to demonstrate the potential of using optimization methods to obtain achievable robotic fabrication solutions under sophisticated requirements. Focusing on geometry processing and path planning, respectively, this dissertation employs optimization approaches to assist with design aims, and develops a conceptual framework for solving fabrication-aware robotic fabrication tasks. The formulation of the optimization problems in this dissertation empowers the design processes to be fabrication-aware so as to be compatible with the selected fabrication technology. It provides a more mathematical and holistic perspective for looking at robotic fabrication technologies in the architectural domain.}, keywords = {Sculpting; Architecture; Robotic Fabrication; Computer Graphics}, language = {en}, address = {Zurich}, publisher = {ETH Zurich}, DOI = {10.3929/ethz-b-000518815}, title = {Computational Re-Forming. Computational Strategies for Robotic Fabrication of Shaping Malleable Materials}, school = {ETH Zurich} }

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@PHDTHESIS{20.500.11850/497546, copyright = {In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted}, year = {2021}, type = {Doctoral Thesis}, author = {Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Johan Julius Petrus}, size = {204 p.}, abstract = {The research presented herein brings forward the robotic aggregation of low-grade building material into load-bearing architectural structures that are re-usable and re-configurable with high geometrical flexibility and minimal material waste. It focuses on the physical phenomena of jamming, by which granular matter can yield and flow or jam and solidify depending on its confinement, which can be used to create architectural structures. A novel material system is identified that combines construction aggregates with tensile reinforcement. Subsequently, the constraints of this material system are analysed to explore the design space of Jammed Architectural Structures. Finally, an appropriate construction system is developed based on robotic fabrication and computational design. The research identifies a series of fabrication methods, Rock Printing, to shape and realize load bearing jammed structures are developed. A set of building experiments validate the approach for building and construction applications. The experiments resulted in a four-legged column, showcasing the material systems geometrical flexibility, a freestanding wall element, exploiting the ability to build without formwork and a full-scale pavilion, demonstrating the potential for architectural applications. This thesis brings forward a new perspective on how aggregating building materials can be used to form architectural structures through a robotic fabrication process, for which the materials can be locally sourced and ultimately returned to their original state.}, keywords = {Robotic fabrication; Digital fabrication; Jammed architectural structures; Granular materials; granular matter; computational design}, language = {en}, address = {Zurich}, publisher = {ETH Zurich}, DOI = {10.3929/ethz-b-000497546}, title = {Rock Printing. Robotic fabrication of jammed architectural structures from bulk materials}, school = {ETH Zurich} }

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