Strategies of Learning and Control of Robotic Manufacturing Methods in Architecture

Over the last decade, robotics applied to the Architecture and Construction sector has evolved through the support of new programming tools. The possibility of controlling robotic arms through visual programming languages has emerged as an opportunity to program industrial robots effectively, taking advantage of their multiple capabilities. This type of control turns the use of robotics accessible to non-specialists in the field of computation and robotics such as the generality of the construction professionals like architects, designers, and engineers. This paper presents the use, improvement, and programming of a small-scale robotic arm, based on the Arduino Tinker Kit Braccio with hardware modifications and software implementations that enable a workflow similar to a full-scale industrial robotic arm, aiming to broaden the access to practical applications by non-experts in teaching and research contexts. The use of an Arduino-controlled mini robotic arm is justified by the fact that not all academic institutions have industrial robots for practice and research, namely due to their high cost and maintenance. This paper is focused on strategies for controlling robotic manufacturing methods in Architecture through visual programming languages and analyzing the several problems and challenges in that process.