How might robots assist in the preparation of reusable formwork for casting cementitious materials for retrofit? CSALT is delighted to begin our second year of research supported by the MITACS Accellerate program and the Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) to explore the potential of reusable formwork that responds to a digital model of a deformed existing building. In year 1, the grant has supported recent M.Arch graduate Kimberley Casemore and current Masters thesis student Catalin Bacalu to explore alternatives to single-use formwork currently used in the industry for complex shapes. Using our ABB GoFa collaborative robots and their high precision accuracy (repeatability), Catalin and Casey have worked through software and digital processes of pneumatically-controlled formwork prototypes that translate a digitally-designed curvature in Rhino based on an existing deformed building and translate it into robotic movement using COMPAS_RRC to control the robot. In combination with a pneumatically driven piston prototype, the formwork can be reset with the robot controller and a new curvature built to cast a new bespoke form. Our goal in the next year is to move to a more robust prototype and explore unit interlocking for simple assembly.
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