[VOILES | SAILS]: A modular architecture for a fast parallel development in an international multidisciplinary project

Abstract

The [VOILES | SAILS] project was born from architect and artist Nicolas Reeves' will to evoke the age-old myth of an architecture freed from the law of gravity. Many challenges had to be solved in order to achieve this result, and many skills and expertises were required to implement the different modules of the project, from mechatronics to high-level behavior programming. Standing at the crossroads between Art, Architecture and Science, this highly interdisciplinary project brings together researchers from the artistic, technological and scientific realms in an international academic collaboration. Accordingly, the structure, software, mechatronics and artistic concepts were developed in order to allow rapid implementation of new behaviors and potentials for the robots. This paper presents an overview of the development required to create this robotic platform. It is shown that the modular architecture of both the mechatronics and the software was essential for this international and multidisciplinary initiative.