Leveraging building material as part of the in-plane robotic kinematic system for collective construction

Abstract

Although collective robotic construction systems are beginning to showcasehow multi-robot systems can contribute to building construction by efficientlybuilding low-cost, sustainable structures, the majority of research utilizesnon-structural or highly customized materials. A modular collective roboticconstruction system based on a robotic actuator, which leverages timberstruts for the assembly of architectural artifacts as well as part of the robotbody for locomotion is presented. The system is co-designed for in-planeassembly from an architectural, robotic, and computer science perspective inorder to integrate the various hardware and software constraints into a singleworkflow. The system is tested using five representative physical scenarios.These proof-of-concept demonstrations showcase three tasks required forconstruction assembly: the ability of the system to locomote, dynamicallychange the topology of connecting robotic actuators and timber struts, andcollaborate to transport timber struts. As such, the groundwork for a futureautonomous collective robotic construction system that could addresscollective construction assembly and even further increase the flexibility ofon-site construction robots through its modularity is laid.