Designing with a Robot - Interactive methods for brick wall design using computer vision

Abstract

The deterministic and linear nature of robotic processes in architectural construction often allows no or very little adjustments during the fabrication process. If any need for modification arise the process is usually interrupted, changes are accommodated, and the process is resumed or restarted. The rigidity in this fabrication process leaves little room for creative intervention and human activities and robotic process are often considered as two segregated processes.The paper will present and discuss the methodological and design challenges of interactive robotic fabrication of brickwork with an industrial robotic arm, a webcam and bricks with varying color tones. Emphasis will be on the integration of external computer vision libraries within Rhino Grasshopper to augment the interactive robotic process. The paper will describe and demonstrate a framework comprising (1) robotic pick and place, material selection and evaluation using computer vision, (2) interactive robotic actuation and (3) the role of human input during a probabilistic fabrication-based design process.