Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Paul Shepherd is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of digital fabrication, robotics, and sustainable structural engineering. His work spans two transformative domains: aerial additive manufacturing and low-carbon concrete construction, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies can reshape how we design and build structures. Shepherd is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking contributions to Aerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM), a system enabling autonomous drones to 3D print structural materials in situ — ideal for dangerous or hard-to-reach locations. His 2022 paper on multi-robot aerial manufacturing has already accumulated 238 citations, reflecting the field's excitement around this paradigm shift. His earliest aerial printing experiments, dating to 2017, demonstrated the feasibility of polymer extrusion from unmanned aerial vehicles, laying crucial groundwork for subsequent cementitious applications. Equally significant is his work on efficient concrete structures: ribbed and segmented shells, robotic concrete spraying, and filament-wound reinforcement optimisation all address the urgent need to reduce construction's environmental footprint. By combining structural optimisation with robotic fabrication, Shepherd's research offers practical pathways toward decarbonising the built environment — making his portfolio essential reading for anyone working at the frontier of computational design and sustainable construction.