Fabrication and Robotics I

Catalog description

ARCH 783, is the first course in Fabrication and Robotics offered in the Master of Science in Architecture, Computational Technologies program. The objective of the two consecutive courses (ARCH 783, ARCH 784) is for students to analyze, research, displace and eventually investigate new paradigms in computer-based systems of fabrication, construction, interaction and robotics applied to architecture. Students will develop skills in visual algorithms applied to fabrication through Rhinoceros 3D Grasshopper plugin, Arduino/Raspberry Pi, implement Python programming language for fabrication, KUKA PRC (KLR). First, students will learn physical computation (Arduino or Raspberry Pi) in relation to sensors for data gathering and data link. The seminar will collect environmental data in a space and develop an interactive responsive system. Second, students will experiment through physical computation mechanisms for digital fabrication that structure building construction systems and digital fabrication. Each student/group of students will analyze, displace, design, research and develop a 3d Printing machine mechanism (assembly, customize parts), or a CNC multi-axis mechanism, or a Robotic system for digital fabrication (MCode) . Third, students will study and apply various forms of reverse engineering for 3d printing, laser cutting, and other CNC. Fourth, students will design-fabricate implementing conventional CAM routines, tool paths and scripts in 3d printing, CNC, and other machines such as KUKA Robotic Arms. Students will analyze, simulate, edit and modify conventional CAM protocols for 3d printing, CNC, tool paths, and robotic digital fabrication processes to deal with emergent material processes. Each student will then activate a computational design process through CAM displacement (Gcode), activating critical relationships between emergent material forces in digital…