Ilmar Hurkxkens
Papers
7
Total Citations
99
H-Index
5
About
Ilmar Hurkxkens is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, computational design, and landscape architecture, whose work has fundamentally advanced the field of autonomous construction using on-site materials. Based at ETH Zürich and affiliated with the National Center of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication, Hurkxkens has spent nearly a decade developing frameworks for robotic earthmoving and in situ construction, addressing critical challenges including labor shortages, carbon reduction, and construction in remote environments. His most influential contribution, a 2023 framework for robotic excavation and dry stone construction (46 citations), established a comprehensive pipeline enabling autonomous systems to build using locally sourced materials — a significant step toward sustainable, low-carbon construction practices. Earlier works, including his "Robotic Embankment" (2021, 19 citations) and "Robotic Landscapes" series (2017–2020), progressively built the computational and topological foundations for autonomous terrain modeling with walking excavators. His 2024 work on circular robotic construction extends this vision toward fully integrated mobile robotic systems. Collectively, Hurkxkens's research has opened entirely new design possibilities for landscape architecture, proving that autonomous machines can be both ecologically responsible and creatively transformative construction agents.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Robotic embankment19 citations · 2021
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- 5
- 6Circular Robotic Construction4 citations · 2024
- 7