Complex concrete structures: Merging existing casting techniques with digital fabrication

Over the course of the 20th century, architectural construction has gone through intense innovation in its material, engineering and design, radically transforming the way buildings were and are conceived. Technological and industrial advances enabled and challenged architects, engineers and constructors to build increasingly complex architectural structures from concrete. Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques have, more recently, rejuvenated and increased the possibilities of realizing ever more complex geometries. Reinforced concrete is often chosen for such structures as almost any shape can be achieved when placed into a formwork. However, most complex forms generated with these digital design tools bear little relation to the default modes of production used in concrete construction today. A large gap has emerged between the possibilities offered by the digital technology in architectural design and the reality of the building industry, where actually no efficient solutions exist for the production of complex concrete structures. This paper presents construction methods that unfold their full potential by linking digital design, additive fabrication and material properties and hence allow accommodating the construction of complex concrete structures. The emphasis is set on the on-going research project Smart Dynamic Casting (SDC) where advanced material design and robotic fabrication are interconnected in the design and fabrication process of complex concrete structures. The proposed fabrication process is belonging to an emerging architectural phenomenon defined first as Digital Materiality by Gramazio & Kohler (2008) or more recently as Material Ecologies by Neri Oxman  [1].     

Internal architecture design and freeform fabrication of tissue replacement structures

Modeling, design and fabrication of tissue scaffolds with intricate architecture, porosity and pore size for desired tissue properties presents a challenge in tissue engineering. This paper will present the details of our development in the design and fabrication of the interior architecture of scaffolds using a novel design approach. The interior architecture design (IAD) approach seeks to generate layered scaffold freeform fabrication tool path without forming complicated 3D CAD scaffold models. This involves: applying the principle of layered manufacturing to determine the scaffold individual layered process planes and layered contours; defining the 2D characteristic patterns of the scaffold building blocks (unit cells) to form the Interior Scaffold Pattern; and the generating the process tool path for freeform fabrication of these scaffolds with the specified interior architecture. Feasibility studies applying the IAD algorithm to example models with multi-interior architecture and the generation of fabrication planning instructions will also be presented.     

A reference architecture for social robots

Social robotics poses tough challenges to software designers who are required to take care of difficult architectural drivers like acceptability, trust of robots as well as to guarantee that robots establish a personalized interaction with their users. Moreover, in this context recurrent software design issues such as ensuring interoperability, improving reusability and customizability of software components also arise. Designing and implementing social robotic software architectures is a time-intensive activity requiring multi-disciplinary expertise: this makes it difficult to rapidly develop, customize, and personalize robotic solutions. These challenges may be mitigated at design time by choosing certain architectural styles, implementing specific architectural patterns and using particular technologies. Leveraging on our experience in the MARIO project, in this paper we propose a series of principles that social robots may benefit from. These principles lay also the foundations for the design of a reference software architecture for social robots. The goal of this work is twofold: (i) Establishing a reference architecture whose components are unambiguously characterized by an ontology thus allowing to easily reuse them in order to implement and personalize social robots; (ii) Introducing a series of standardized software components for social robots architecture (mostly relying on ontologies and semantic technologies) to enhance interoperability, to improve explainability, and to favor rapid prototyping.     

Encountering the Geometry and Rhetoric of Lamb’s House, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

This paper considers geometry and rhetoric through an examination of the empirical and the narratological, comparing the architectural experience of dimensionality (geometry, scale, proportion, material, weight and measure) and the order of telling tales. Of interest here is the experience of stories through material constructions, and there are two aspects to such architectural narratological experience that concern the designer. First, the experience of geometry and narrative in the built artefact; second, the experience of geometry and narrative in the course of the design process, as narrative becomes construction, architecture and building. The second part of the paper discusses an architectural project for a restructuring of Lamb’s House in Leith, Edinburgh. The discussion and project draw associations and sparks the communicative potential between the lines of construction, which are by nature geometric, and the lines of narrative, which conventionally are textual but in architecture are represented through its construction.     

基于体系结构模型检查分布式控制系统

分布控制系统是大量硬件设备通过计算机系统得以控制和协调的高度复杂系统,它们也是任务统,需要保障其功能的高度正确性和可靠性.分析复杂控制系统的过程包含了证明或验证设计的系统确实满足某种需求.但由于系统的复杂度,有效分析系统是相当困难的.从系统设计和分析的角度看,基于体系结构方法可以运用层次化构造和抽象的方法来减小模型复杂度.模型检查技术是分析复杂系统构造满足正确和可靠性需求的有效方法.结合软件体系结构描述方法和模型检查技术,提出了基于体系结构的分布式控制系统形式分析方法,通过楼宇综合控制系统实例研究,展示了该方法在提高分布式控制系统设计质量方面的效果.     

Application of robots in assembly automation

The development of flexible assembly is closely related to the introduction of robots in assembly automation. If has long been recognized that automatic parts assembly by robots is one of the most delicate and most difficult tasks in industrial robotics. This task involves two control problems, trajectory planning for the whole automatic assembly process and reduction of the reaction forces appearing between the parts being assembled. This paper addresses both aspects of this control task. The strategical control level for the manipulation of robots and various approaches to trajectory planning tasks in assembly processes are discussed. A new approach to the determination of the strategical control level, including various models (geometric, kinematic and dynamic) for manipulation robots, is briefly described.The last and most delicate phase of the assembly process is parts mating, which is rather like inserting a peg in a hole. In order to reduce the reaction forces appearing between the parts being assembled, force feedback control is applied. The experimental results of the industrial robot insertion process with force feedback are also presented in the paper.     

多机器人工作站控制系统仿真设计研究

为确定多机器人生产线在实际工业生产过程中的可实施性,利用RobotStudio虚拟仿真软件设计一类以IRB2600工业机器人为控制核心的多机器人工作站,用以实现对装配搬运生产线的虚拟搭建;采用SoildWorks软件为工作站设计三维仿真模型及使用工具;构建多机器人生产线的布局,依据生产线工序流程,说明动态效果构建过程,对机器人系统进行I/O信号创建,设置工作站逻辑,进而完成离线编程程序的编写,实现工作站的虚拟仿真运行,通过对运行结果数据进行研究,找出机器人运行的最优速度,保证了该生产线的可实施性;该方案可以为实际机器人生产线设计提供理论依据,降低设计周期和成本,指导现场生产;对类似工作站的创建实施具有一定的借鉴意义.     

Self-assembled architectures and the temporal aspects of computing

Despite the convenience of clean abstractions, technological trends are blurring the lines between design layers and creating new interactions between previously unrelated architecture layers. For example, virtual machines such as VMWare and Transmeta implement the application-software-visible architecture in virtual-machine software, allowing more flexibility in the hardware/software interface beneath the VM layer. Future technologies will likely further increase the interactions between design layers. Programmable self-assembly is an emerging fabrication technology that must be considered in the higher layers of computer system design. This technology offers an opportunity to perform computation during the fabrication process itself.     

基于智能视觉和BIM的建筑装配过程的高精度控制

为了确保建筑装配过程能实现开发商定义的工业化标准,需要进行建筑装配过程高精度控制。使用当前方法在建筑装配的过程中对建筑装配成本、质量的控制效果达不到开发商的要求;为此,提出一种基于智能视觉和BIM的建筑装配过程高精度控制方法;首先采用BIM技术通过计算机虚拟建筑装配场地布置,建立BIM建筑装配模型,并在BIM建筑装配模型中输入建筑配件以及施工项目相关的所有信息,其次,在BIM建筑装配模型的各个施工构件上加上时间参数和成本计划,构成5D BIM建筑装配模型,对优化完成的5D BIM建筑装配模型进行虚拟建造,调整进度和成本计划,进而将BIM和智能视觉技术相结合,实现整个建筑装配过程的三维可视化指导操作;实验结果表明,所提方法能够有效提高施工效率,且建筑装配成本控制精度较高。     

三维结构构件渐进式整合与重组方法

提出一种结构构件三维信息的渐进式整合和规范化重组方法,将各种示意性的图形元素、多样化的表达方式、分散在多张二维图中的三维结构构件信息进行整合和规范化,得到具有严格几何对应关系的规范化投影图;同时,从构件属性标注中提取三维重建所需的隐含语义信息,在领域知识和经验的辅助下进一步应用到规范化投影图;最后,利用基于投影匹配的方法在规范化后的前视、侧视和水平投影图基础上完成精确重建.     

Packable Springs

Laser cutting is an appealing fabrication process due to the low cost of materials and extremely fast fabrication. However, the design space afforded by laser cutting is limited, since only flat panels can be cut. Previous methods for manufacturing from flat sheets usually roughly approximate 3D objects by polyhedrons or cross sections. Computational design methods for connecting, interlocking, or folding several laser cut panels have been introduced; to obtain a good approximation, these methods require numerous parts and long assembly times. In this paper, we propose a radically different approach: Our approximation is based on cutting thin, planar spirals out of flat panels. When such spirals are pulled apart, they take on the shape of a 3D spring whose contours are similar to the input object. We devise an optimization problem that aims to minimize the number of required parts, thus reducing costs and fabrication time, while at the same time ensuring that the resulting spring mimics the shape of the original object. In addition to rapid fabrication and assembly, our method enables compact packaging and storage as flat parts. We also demonstrate its use for creating armatures for sculptures and moulds for filling, with potential applications in architecture or construction.     

基于IDM的建筑工程设计阶段流程图描述方法研究

IDM（Information Delivery Manual）是将IFC标准应用到特定阶段、特定目的BIM的关键。国外对IDM的研究涉及结构设计、能量分析、设备运维和基建工程等多个方面,而国内却少有相关文章。该文旨在规范化建筑工程设计流程,细化IDM标准。结合建筑设计企业的实际设计过程,利用BPMN（Business Process Modeling Notation）方法,详细描述基于IDM的建筑工程设计阶段建筑专业的流程图,对其他专业设计流程有借鉴意义,为IDM标准的顺利实施奠定基础。     

A Virtual Environment for the Design and Simulated Construction of Prefabricated Buildings

The construction industry has acknowledged that its current working practices are in need of substantial improvements in quality and efficiency and has identified that computer modelling techniques and the use of prefabricated components can help reduce times, costs, and minimise defects and problems of on-site construction. This paper describes a virtual environment to support the design and construction processes of buildings from prefabricated components and the simulation of their construction sequence according to a project schedule. The design environment can import a library of 3-D models of prefabricated modules that can be used to interactively design a building. Using Microsoft Project, the construction schedule of the designed building can be altered, with this information feeding back to the construction simulation environment. Within this environment the order of construction can be visualised using virtual machines. Novel aspects of the system are that it provides a single 3-D environment where the user can construct their design with minimal user interaction through automatic constraint recognition and view the real-time simulation of the construction process within the environment. This takes this area of research a step forward from other systems that only allow the planner to view the construction at certain stages, and do not provide an animated view of the construction process.     

Generating 3D Building Models from Architectural Drawings: A Survey

Automatically generating 3D building models from 2D architectural drawings has many useful applications in the architecture engineering and construction community. This survey of model generation from paper and CAD-based architectural drawings covers the common pipeline and compares various algorithms for each step of the process.     

机械臂绝对定位精度标定关键技术综述

目前我国飞机和卫星装配仍主要采用人工装配,装配技术陈旧、机器人绝对定位精度低等问题难以满足飞机和卫星高精度、高性能的要求,阻碍了工业机器人在航空制造行业的发展,因此,在机器人柔性自动化装配过程中,如何提高机械臂绝对定位精度的标定技术已成为学术界和工业界广泛关注的焦点。为了系统地分析和总结现有的研究成果,对绝对定位精度标定方法进行了分类探讨,归纳了国内外机械臂标定技术的研究现状,详细分析了误差不确定性、冗余参数的消除及最优测量结构选择性等关键技术,并对机械臂绝对定位精度标定技术的未来发展趋势进行了构想和展望。     

A Minimum-Jerk Speed-Planning Algorithm for Coordinated Planning and Control of Automated Assembly Manufacturing

We previously proposed a general algorithm for coordinating the motions among multiple machines in a shared assembly environment based on a constant-speed motion model. In this paper, we extend this work to a minimum-jerk polynomial motion model and describe a new speed-planning algorithm to plan automated assembly machines' motions. Machines are planned sequentially, based on their priorities, by mapping the motions of higher-priority machines into forbidden regions in two-dimensional space-time graphs. Collision-free minimum-jerk motions are then planned between the forbidden regions in the graphs. The new speed-planning algorithm is evaluated on a dual-robot surface-mount technology assembly machine in which both robots share a common workspace. Note to Practitioners—Automated assembly processes, especially surface-mount technology manufacturing, require a high degree of precision when placing certain components. This motivated us to find a way of maintaining good positional accuracy by planning smooth motions for the machines that perform these tasks. Since many of these machines have two or more robots, their motions must also be coordinated. We developed an algorithm that combines coordinated motion concepts with a minimum-jerk motion model that can solve these problems. The algorithm plans segmented paths for the robots and then sequentially plans their speeds to prevent collisions between them. The planned speeds ensure position, velocity, and acceleration continuity between path segments. The smooth motions resulting from this method enable high-accuracy component placement. The tradeoff for this improvement is increased cycle time compared to other speed-planning methods.     

Adaptable compliance or variable stiffness for robotic applications [From the Guest Editors]

Exciting new robots are being developed that will operate in a different environment from traditional industrial factories or research laboratories. Researchers are working worldwide to create robots that are integrated into our daily lives. For the advancement of these new robots, compliant, safe, and new actuators are one of the important issues turning energy into safe motion. The biological counterpart is the muscle tendon structure that has functional performance characteristics and a neuromechanical control systemthat has far more superior capabilities. The superior power to weight ratio, force to weight ratio, and sensing characteristics limit the development of machines that can match motion, safety, and energy efficiency of a human or other animal. One of the key differences of biological systems is their adaptable compliance or variable stiffness compared with the traditional stiff electrical drives used for the standard industrial robotic applications, which require accurate, reference-trajectory tracking.More and more applications such as robots in close human or robot proximity, legged autonomous robots, and rehabilitation devices and prostheses demand a different set of design specifications, for which the use of compliant actuators can be beneficial as compared with the traditional stiff actuation schemes.     

A systematic review of software architecture visualization techniques

ContextGiven the increased interest in using visualization techniques (VTs) to help communicate and understand software architecture (SA) of large scale complex systems, several VTs and tools have been reported to represent architectural elements (such as architecture design, architectural patterns, and architectural design decisions). However, there is no attempt to systematically review and classify the VTs and associated tools reported for SA, and how they have been assessed and applied.ObjectiveThis work aimed at systematically reviewing the literature on software architecture visualization to develop a classification of VTs in SA, analyze the level of reported evidence and the use of different VTs for representing SA in different application domains, and identify the gaps for future research in the area.MethodWe used systematic literature review (SLR) method of the evidence-based software engineering (EBSE) for reviewing the literature on VTs for SA. We used both manual and automatic search strategies for searching the relevant papers published between 1 February 1999 and 1 July 2011.ResultsWe selected 53 papers from the initially retrieved 23,056 articles for data extraction, analysis, and synthesis based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results from the data analysis enabled us to classify the identified VTs into four types based on the usage popularity: graph-based, notation-based, matrix-based, and metaphor-based VTs. The VTs in SA are mostly used for architecture recovery and architectural evolution activities. We have also identified ten purposes of using VTs in SA. Our results also revealed that VTs in SA have been applied to a wide range of application domains, among which “graphics software” and “distributed system” have received the most attention.ConclusionSA visualization has gained significant importance in understanding and evolving software-intensive systems. However, only a few VTs have been employed in industrial practice. This review has enabled us to identify the following areas for further research and improvement: (i) it is necessary to perform more research on applying visualization techniques in architectural analysis, architectural synthesis, architectural implementation, and architecture reuse activities; (ii) it is essential to pay more attention to use more objective evaluation methods (e.g., controlled experiment) for providing more convincing evidence to support the promised benefits of using VTs in SA; (iii) it is important to conduct industrial surveys for investigating how software architecture practitioners actually employ VTs in architecting process and what are the issues that hinder and prevent them from adopting VTs in SA.