Human-robot building craft transfer

Our lab explores ways of digitally transferring traditional building crafts to robotic manufacturing. As artisanal skills diminish globally, there is a need to document and preserve tacit knowledge embodied in manual techniques. Robotics offers a means to digitally encode craftsmanship for the future. We focus on developing methods to capture nuanced gestures of skilled workers through motion tracking and analysis. This data provides a basis for simulating and reenacting craft using industrial robotic arms. Adaptive fabrication protocols allow the robots to emulate the fluid responsiveness and material sensibility of human craftsmen.

Projects

One project examined transferring three regional stone carving methods to an automated process. The gestures of a stonemason were recorded using motion capture cameras. The data enabled virtually reconstructing the techniques and translating them into robotic toolpaths. This allowed carving styles like “coarse” and “delicate” finishes to be robotically reproduced. Another project presented a computational strategy for documenting, analyzing, and simulating manual stonework. It built on this data transfer approach to propose an autonomous fabrication framework. This would allow continuous adaptation of the robotic motions based on material feedback. The aim is to achieve the adaptive finesse of human stone carvers.

Outcomes

Our techniques assist in preserving tacit knowledge as craftspeople diminish in number. They also help instill material sensibility in automated fabrication, expanding robot capabilities. Through motion studies and adaptive tooling, the nuances of hand work can be digitally transposed to future construction methods. We continue to refine protocols for capturing and simulating a breadth of manual techniques. In parallel, we are developing more responsive actuators and smarter robotic systems. Our aim is automated production that maintains the fluidity and dexterity of human building craft.