Design, development and experimental assessment of a robotic end-effector for non-standard concrete applications

Abstract

Despite the recent advances in, and the adoption of robotic technologies in the construction industry, the architectural processes which demand a high degree of geometric freedom still remain largely labour intensive and manual. This is due to the inherent difficulties in robotizing the current implementation of such processes coupled with the lack of alternate robotic technologies. A specific example, which is also the focus of this paper, is that of building a steel reinforced concrete structure, with varying curvature or cross-section. This process still remains rather manual and requires extensive support of customized form-work. In this paper, first we describe an alternate novel robotic fabrication process for building steel wire meshes which act as both reinforcement and formwork. The robotization of such a process is discussed with the use of a previously developed mobile robotic system. Based on the specifications derived from the process, design of a novel custom designed robotic end-effector, enabling this process, is detailed. Automation of the full robotic system comprising the mobile robotic system and the robotic end-effector is discussed from simulation to control. Through experimental evaluation of the robotic system, we demonstrate the ability to fully automate the construction of non-standard steel reinforced steel meshes of varying curvature and cell sizes.