Robotic vault: a cooperative robotic assembly method for brick vault construction
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Robotic vault: a cooperative robotic assembly method for brick vault construction Stefana Parascho1 · Isla Xi Han1 · Samantha Walker2 · Alessandro Beghini2 · Edvard P. G. Bruun1,3 · Sigrid Adriaenssens3 Received: 15 June 2020 / Accepted: 17 October 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Geometrically complex masonry structures built with traditional techniques typically require either temporary scaffolding or skilled masons. This paper presents a novel fabrication process for the assembly of full-scale masonry vaults without the use of falsework. The fabrication method is based on a cooperative assembly approach in which two robots alternate between placement and support to first build a stable central arch. Subsequently, the construction is continued individually by the robots - building out from the central arch based on an interlocking diagonal brick sequence. This proposed method is validated through its successful implementation in a full-scale vault structure consisting of 256 glass and concrete standardized bricks. The paper includes strategies for developing the design, sequencing, and robotic assembly methods used to build the vault. Keywords Masonry vault · Robotic brick construction · Cooperative robotic assembly · Sequence planning · Falsework-free construction
1 Introduction Robotic assembly allows for the fabrication of irregular structures due to the ability of industrial robots to precisely position elements in space. One of the earliest applications of this was in automating bricklaying (Thomson 1904; British Pathé 1967): a repetitive process for which robotic assembly methods are well-suited. While early architectural applications (Bonwetsch et al. 2006, 2007; Dörfler et al. 2016) took advantage of a robot’s capabilities to generate and assemble controlled irregular brick walls, these attempts were limited to formal explorations aimed at identifying the aesthetic potential of robotic fabrication techniques. As shown in this paper, by combining robotic precision with structural form-finding, this process can be further developed beyond
* Stefana Parascho [email protected] 1
CREATE Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
2
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Chicago, IL, USA
3
Form Finding Lab, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
creating three-dimensional decorative objects. We believe that one of the greatest potentials of robotic construction lies in taking advantage of the geometric freedom gained from this process to materialise form-found structural shapes. This can lead to a material efficient design and construction process that fully exploits the emergent potential of robotics applied to architecture. In this paper we present the developments of a cooperative fabrication process for the construction of a full-scale masonry vault (see Fig. 1). This includes the following: (1) a description of how the fabrication method was developed, (2) the fabrication and structure-informed method underlying the design of the va
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