Architecture Design | Impasto Robotics Material Research - Design and Fabrication Process

Steemit Design & Artist Community,

In this post, I will be sharing my Robotics research project called IMPASTO. This research project explored various materials and tooling for Staubli Robot. For this post.... I will try my best to “visually” illustrate the process in an informative manner. Rather than writing about the process, visual diagrams, specification and roadmaps with process photos should convey the process better than dense narrative. I hope that by sharing this post informatively, the content should better instruct anyone in our community interested in further developing this project (if they should choose to do so). Also as a cherry on top I have uploaded a quick "teaser" video abstract of the final design at the end of the post.

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Real-time material formation is a process in which a material can be evaluated by its inherent properties and then manipulated via a feedback loop. The inputs are a series of hall sensors embedded in the material that can distinguish between different polarities. The output is the control of electric current within an electromagnet. This type of magnet has magnetism that is produced by the flow of electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases. MAGNETICO phase experimented with a putty like material and magnetic modification techniques in order to find the most expressive way of achieving the overall goal; Sensing Materials in Flux. Techniques of magnetism shall be utilized through re-additive processes. Physical computing will be used as a method for creating a higher level of real-time responsiveness between the end-arm tool (electromagnet) and material as it is distributed and/or re-distributed. The end-arm tools will be two electro-magnets and one camera that records the material flux process. The robots themselves will follow a rule-based path that will allow for an emergent movement without the robots entering each other's work envelopes and constricting their own. Multi-modal computation strategies will provide an intelligent assemblage for synthesizing material formation processes and robotic movement into one unified system.

THE GENESIS:
We first began the research by creating a catalog of materials that were researched for the project.

MATERIAL CATALOG:
Materials and deformation techniques were investigated with respect to potential end arm tooling for the robotic arm. Techniques allowed for filtering of potential materials to begin working with. The robots provide a variety of postions along the vectors of addivtive and re-additive processes. Two materials were chosen: MAGENTIC PUDDY and SILICONE.

MATERIAL STUDIES:
Magneticsm was chosen as the first experiment due to its potential to deform rheological and putty like materials through the controls of electric current. Forms were dynamic, emergent, and unpredictable. Due to the nature of the material, and complexity in obtaining numerical values from nanometers, it was difficult to develop constraints for further developement.

The diagram below illustrates our hypothetical results due to orientation of materials, robotic arm and all other components.

MAGNETISM:

The diagram below illustrates conceptual setup we envisioned as the application of magnetic materials in conjuction with robotic tooling as movement.

ROBOTIC EXPERIMENTS:
The different techniques included sculpting/carving, contouring/layering, melting/heating, magnetism and pneumetics utilizing additive and/ or re-additive processes. Multi-modal computation strategies will provide an intelligent assemblage for synthesizing material formation processes and robotic movement into one unified system.

AIR IN FLUX:

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