Heather Kerrick

Fusion Academy, Autodesk (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Heather Kerrick is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of computational design, robotics, and human-machine collaboration. Her work fundamentally reimagines how we bridge the gap between digital models and physical fabrication, particularly in architectural and manufacturing contexts. Kerrick’s key contributions center on developing systems that enable seamless, adaptive workflows from CAD design to robotic assembly. Her highly cited 2022 paper, “On CAD Informed Adaptive Robotic Assembly,” introduces a groundbreaking system that captures assembly intent directly within CAD tools, allowing for the automatic generation of adaptive robotic assembly processes—a critical step toward truly flexible manufacturing. Earlier, her influential 2016 work, “The Hive,” demonstrated a visionary approach to collaborative fabrication, showing how untrained workers and industrial robots could work side-by-side using computational design and wearable technology to construct an architectural-scale pavilion. This project, exhibited at Autodesk University, has become a touchstone for research into human-robot collaboration in construction. With her papers garnering significant early citations, Kerrick is establishing herself as a leading voice in the future of design-to-production workflows.