In-Situ Robotic Fabrication: Advanced Digital Manufacturing Beyond the Laboratory

Abstract

This paper takes an important step in characterizing a novel field of architectural research where a robotic system moves on a construction site and positions building components in-situ. Developed by the research group of Gramazio & Kohler at ETH Zurich, this approach offers unique advantages over traditional building technology: it fosters non-standard building processes, it can be directly applied on the construction site and it is easily scalable and it offers digital integration and informational oversight across the entire design and building process. Featuring a comprehensive new approach to architecture and technology, this paper considers 1) research parameters and components of in-situ robotic fabrication (such as tolerance handling, man-machine cooperation and localisation), 2) experimentation and building prototypes at full architectural scale, and 3) the architectural implications of integrating these findings into a systemic, unifying process at the earliest stages of design. As a result, in-situ robotic fabrication opens up entirely new possibilities of automated construction that are not limited by the constraints of prefabrication; the most evident and radical consequences of in-situ robotic fabrication are the ability to digitally oversee and control a large number of aspects of design and fabrication within an efficient and flexible building process.