A few universities around the world, such as ETH in Switzerland, ITECH in Germany, and SCI-Arc in the US are researching construction robots that might be useful for a number of projects. These robots might prove to offer valuable solutions to specific problems. In the future, robots will speed up construction processes and help build houses in all situations. Architects have already begun designing spaceships with this kind of purpose in mind.
Small mobile robots and fibrous material are a great combination, because the small size of robots work best in large spaces. They can be used to create devices that perform tasks in places humans can’t go easily.
This is why we study the movement of robots, on two legs or rolling on wheels, with propellers or quadrocopters. Experiments have been performed with different configurations of threads and it has been come to an understanding that it would be interesting to build a universal robot for an urban environment – AR is starting to be used for more than just marketing. Because it can create another layer of architecture without changing the building’s facade, it provides a cost-effective alternative to starting from scratch.
What prompted the idea? A study on spiders, which found that they use sophisticated geometric web-building strategies. These creatures are small but they build huge and complex webs. Spiders which weave 3D webs create them in a way different to the classic spiral weave. These are spiders that have adapted to living near humans and which can be found in every basement. They create intricate geometries around simple square shapes – in a corner or between walls. In fact, this is new architecture within an existing structure. Modern buildings are often rectangular in shape, and I was interested in experimenting with the geometry of the web, combined with its simplest geometry of a frame.
Currently they can only work indoors, but I think they should be able to function in both indoor and outdoor environments. For example, we could have them build furniture like couches and chairs that we could use inside or outside of our homes. One could imagine that you could have various machine-made canopies for events. So that as soon as the structure is no longer needed, robots can undo it and unwind it into coils. Then they can transport it to another place. For this design, each time a structure is created in a new location the geometry changes. This is because the facades or walls depend on availability in that area, and their position will impact the final shape of any structure. We are living in exciting times and it is fun to look into the future to see all of these new advances. AI assistants are wonderful but they also have tremendous potential. Imagine them being applied to constructing large, serious infrastructure in areas such as building bridges and other difficult structures.
Many in the scientific community are starting to use industrial robots and the architecture community is paying attention too.
All modern research on industrial robots is interesting, but other types of devices should develop in parallel. For example, construction-specific robots are appropriate when working with materials that have a zero tolerance for error. Robots are beginning to replace humans in more professions, and this type of technology is going to help make production more efficient.
Researchers are developing new technology such as quadcopters that use filaments to interact with each other. This creates bridges that can support a heavy person and these bridges will be created using 10 pieces of rope. Generally, there are not many institutions around the world that are interested in mobile robots. This is a relatively new topic in architecture.
It’s fascinating to see how each robot is suited for a different industry. The industrial one is designed specifically to handle big tasks while you can use the more DIY model if you want something smaller. You have to figure out protocol for your operation or it won’t work! When it comes to mobile robotics, there are plenty of things you need to take care of in order to get things up and running. It’s vital that you know which sensors will be needed for devices to interact accordingly with the program and what the order of actions should be for programmed devices based on combinations.
So although it may not be very clear how to apply the system, I think the project is quite different from my last one. In that case, we knew exactly what to do from the start. The difficulty of my project is to build a flexible AI system. One important point is that many things are difficult for machines, but two or three machines can theoretically do them-especially when it comes to handling situations with which one machine may struggle. We are still searching for applications for this system. For example, one can imagine a situation in which an industrial robot performs those tasks that require high precision and high payload, while a mobile robot transports material or packs goods.
How will the rise of robots change our near future?
Proposals in current legislation and economics are not desirable. There may be difficulties to solve. For instance, if the sudden rise in autonomous cars led to the unemployment of many people involved in transportation, it would lead to a sizable portion of unemployed workers, that wealth will be concentrated all in the hands of one company and they will have a monopoly.
With new artificial intelligence software, more and more professions that rely on logistics are being automated. The research in AI has been going on for years and in the last few years, it has come a long way. Many different areas are now using this type of software to make their processes easier. I think it’s worth emphasizing that this problem is a big one and it has not been given the attention it deserves. If we don’t act quickly, I’m not sure how we will survive on this planet.
If we imagine that a corporation, organization or government create a software or electronic device in the future, then they should share some of the profit with people across society. Otherwise, employees who earn a salary end up paying all their wages to corporations. This means they can’t afford basics like housing or food, which is really scary.
Will robots soon help in the construction of houses?
In the past few years there have been many fantastic and innovative projects—for example, BIG is building a new Google headquarters using robots. The cost may be high now, but it should pay off in the next 10-20 years! It’s tricky to design a system that can be used in any building – this is because buildings have their own specific requirements. But maybe in the future you can order a module or rent it and it will fit into your building straight away. Smartphones used to be the preserve of the rich and famous, but now they’re so cheap that we can all get one. I think robots will also become more affordable as soon as it becomes easier to mass-produce their components.
You can create a modular solution using universally designed modules to solve different problems from a single base system. For instance, someone who is carrying out a construction task and needs a quadcopter or any other sort of drone, would turn to them for assistance. Similarly, if the requirements were to change for the same task later on, you could still work with them.