Robots in Architecture Association

Robots in Architecture is a young association founded by Sigrid Brell-Cokcan and Johannes Braumann. Its main goal is to show approaches on how to integrate the robot not just in the parametric model, but in the design process itself.

Robots in Architecture has just recently developed some interesting Grasshopper plug-ins for intuitive KUKA robot control (incorporating e.g. milling strategies or full kinematic control). Its work will be presented at CAAD Futures 2011, 3D Modeling Symposium Berlin and ACADIA 2011.

• July 4-8 - CAAD Futures 2011, Liege - Belgium
  Workshop "Parametric Design to Production"
   This workshop will demonstrate the optimization of the robot data workflow from digital parametric design to a physical geometry. In Grasshopper the robot's end effector visualization, the generation of manufacturing and design variants for mass customization and the necessary calculations for direct robot programming will be performed in real time providing instant design feedback. As a result of the parametric design process the KRL (KUKA Robot Language) Code will be automatically generated. A KUKA robot will be used for physically producing the participants' parametric designs. The custom KRL Component will be available. Participants will be introduced to the concepts of production inmanent design, manufacturing parametric designs, writing G-Code for CNC machining and controlling a robot with existing parametric design software (Grasshopper).
   
• October 8-12 - Design Modelling Symposium Berlin - Germany
   Master Class "Plug & Play a KUKA robot" In this two-day Master Class participants will be using an innovative plug-in for Grasshopper, which enables the intuitive generation of robot code directly out of the parametric environment, without the former need for special software suites. This direct integration of CAD and CAM allows users to easily combine the existing geometric and analytic components of Grasshopper with the new robotic component – not only to rapidly output physical models but also to analyze, simulate and optimize the design and fabrication strategy, as well as to implement concepts such as mass customization. A compact KUKA KR5 sixx R650 industrial robot will be available on site to execute the parametrically generated jobs.
   
• October 11-16 - ACADIA 2011, Calgary / Banff - Canada            "We'll be presenting something really exciting at this year's ACADIA conference in Calgary/Canada. The uploaded sneak peak should be able to give you a hint what's coming up! :) Hopefully we'll meet many of you fellow robot-handlers there!"