CSALT Collaborators

Robotics Technician, ETH Zürich, NCCR Digital Fabrication

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Since 2016, Philippe has been a member of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication, Switzerland's initiative to lead the development and integration of digital technologies in the fields of architecture and construction. At ETH Zürich, he serves as the Head of Industrial Robotics and Automation in the Robotic Fabrication Laboratory and supports the development of innovative processes and technologies through his collaboration with and contribution to various research teams and projects.

CSALT hosted Philippe at Carleton University for his sabbatical, joining the team from June 1st to September 9th, 2023. At the lab, he shared his extensive knowledge gained from his time in the automation industry and researching at ETH Zürich.

In addition to assisting with various projects in the Robotic Fabrication Lab, such as Semiramis, Concrete Choreography, and DFAB House, he leads the development of COMPAS_RRC, a software package developed to control ABB industrial robots. COMPAS_RRC contributes to the open-source Python based COMPAS framework, which was supported by the NCCR Digital Fabrication initiative and developed by Block Research Group for computation in architecture, structure, and digital fabrication.

With the philosophy of COMPAS (don’t repeat yourself or others, share your work, and collaborate), Philippe helped the CSALT team implement their first ABB collaborative robots and developed three example processes: 2D drawing, tower stacking, and wall building, which are used in Carleton's digital fabrication courses.

Associate Professor, Structural Engineering, Wood Structures

Carleton University, Faculty of Engineering & Design

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Prof. Erochko teaches structural engineering and has research specialties in earthquake engineering and the design of wood and steel structures. He employs teaching technology that uses augmented reality to teach mechanics to undergraduates. Using a traditional beam bending laboratory test as a basis, an augmented reality headset will be used to overlay image data in the student’s field of view providing real-time, colour-coded images to show the stresses and strains in the beam.

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Visit the Erochko Research Group lab website

Director, Center for Advanced Building Research (CABER)

Dr. Cynthia Cruickshank is a professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University. She received her Ph.D. (2009) and B.A.Sc. (2003) degrees at Queen’s University. She is the Principal Investigator and Director of the $5.1M Carleton University Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CU-CABER). Her research focuses on the optimization of advanced building energy systems for high-performance buildings, including energy-efficient insulation materials, solar-assisted heat pumps, and thermal storage. With many collaborations with industry and government, since 2010, she has been a member of the Canadian Home Builders Association Technical Research Committee. Dr. Cruickshank has collaborated with CSALT on advising and testing biogenic insulation materials (cellulose and hemp) and is currently involved in our window retrofit proposal.

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Visit the CABER lab website

Associate Professor in Structures and Materials Engineering

Carleton University, Faculty of Engineering & Design

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Dr. Vahid Sadeghian's research program is focused on the development and application of advanced simulation methods for performance assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Aging infrastructure deterioration is affected by many factors which require advanced analysis and design tools to predict vulnerabilities with a goal towards resilience and sustainable communities. Using advanced modeling tools and procedures and multi-disciplinary methods Dr. Sadeghian's work embraces multi-disciplinary methods and creative solutions. At CSALT this has included research on lateral loads in 3Dprinted concrete structures, bringing Masters and PhD students together to collectively reimagine housing prototypes using this technology in combination with bio-based and complimentary material layers. His methodology includes state-of-the-art hybrid (experimental-numerical) simulation methods.

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Assistant Professor, Architecture, Forest Conservation

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Peter’s research program develops new concepts for a functionally adaptive architecture that supports ecosystem resilience and adaptability. He asks how to design, retrofit, and adapt buildings as part of their natural ecological cycles. His architectural interest in these ecological cycles is a catalyst for architectural adaptation, a new focus on materials, and the decarbonization of the construction industry.

Currently, his research interest lies in understanding how wood construction approaches impact forest composition, natural disturbances, and climate change from the local to global scale.  This way, the carbon displaced from forests for buildings will continue to be replaced for years to come. He derives most of his insights about these relations through the trait-based plant-to-building approach called Forest-Building, field studies, and design-build work.

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Tier II Canada Research Chair, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University.

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Dr. Robin Chhabra is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario and the founding Director of the Autonomous Space Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory (ASRoM-Lab). He has 15 years of combined academic and industry experience in the fields of space robotics, geometric mechanics and control and artificial intelligence. The focus of his research is developing geometric models and long-term, intelligent Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) technologies for interactive and collaborative space robotic systems, typically mobile, underactuated and soft with complex topologies and base/end-effector constraints. Dr. Chhabra is a researcher on the successful AACeSS lab CFI-JELF led by Dr. Boyle. His proven track-record of interdisciplinary problem-solving provides technical expertise in solving design and construction challenges. His deep theoretical knowledge of robotics complimented by hands-on expertise with robotic forces and motion applied in space research will allow the team to determine forces on each of the axes of rotation of the robots, and then to find ways to maintain precision in movements and placement of material in construction processes. Additionally, Dr. Chhabra’s root understanding of force control and the interaction of two robots with each other in co-assemblies will provide the foundation for our pair of robots to act in unison in building tasks.

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Visit the ASRoM lab webstie

Robotics Industry Partner