Phase Change: Approaching Research Methodologies Through Design Robotics

Abstract

This chapter positions ongoing research surrounding robotic manipulation of materials during phase-change and curing conducted by the University or Innsbruck Institute for Experimental Architecture’s REX|LAB within the context of Design Robotics, a research paradigm established by the Design Robotics Group at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The goal of this analysis is the identification of key research principles and evaluation criteria that can inform future developments toward the low-volume production of polymer-based architectural building components. An overview of industrial plastic-forming techniques is used to identify limitations and opportunities within the associated material systems and the findings used to contextualize examples from ongoing research. A series of strategic next steps are proposed and will be explored during a series of workshop experiments.