Co-designing a timber-based collective robotic construction system: advances in physical demonstration and control

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a co-designed timber assembly system with a mobile robotic platform for collective robotic construction (CRC) across three successive demonstrations. Iterative advances in the relationship between material, mechanical robot design, architectural design, and robotic control enable the system to advance from showcasing robotic capabilities, to realizing the planar assembly of timber struts, and finally to achieving the spatial construction of truss-like structures. The first two demonstrations established a foundation for scalable coordination between multiple small mobile robotic actuators and standardized, linear timber building elements they manipulate for 2D assembly. The third demonstration extended this CRC system to the construction of spatial assemblies, demonstrating real-time planning adjustments and the coordination of homogeneous robotic agents. This research argues that co-design, linking the various research aspects in CRC, can be leveraged in the development of systems to progressively meet more complex fabrication goals. The outcomes highlight the potential of CRC as an alternative approach to architectural construction compared to centralized, large-scale machinery workflows.