The Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures used small robots and carbon fiber to create structures. The robot isn't trapping her; it built her a hammock. (via University of Stuttgart)
Some would argue spiders and robots on their own are creepy, unless you're thinking about WALL-E. That little guy is adorable! But what if you combine the insect and bots together? Sounds scary, but rather than being a nuisance the little guys want to build you a hammock. It's not something out of a sci-movie, it's a new project developed by University of Stuttgart graduate Maria Yablonina. The bots are called the Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures. The concept behind them is using small robots who work together to make a single item.
Think of the robots as small Roombas that hug the wall weaving carbon fiber with designs ripped straight from a Spirograph. The bots climb all over the walls and ceilings working together to pull fiber filaments across the space creating the structure right in front of your eyes. They have built-in sensors and suction to help the swarms travel across any surface, horizontal or vertical. They can even climb existing architecture. The mini bots are small giving them the advantage to reach areas large industrial robots can't.
"We are only at the very beginning of exploring the true architectural potential of this fabrication system," said architect and ICD director Achim Menges. "But we are convinced that its main advantage is that you can build entirely new structures that would be impossible to materialise otherwise. Working with many small robots rather than one or two big ones extends the design space significantly and allows us to tap into the unique possibilities of filament structures,"said Menges.
Watching the bots work is memorizing. Two robots working in conjunction, passing the bobbin back and forth to finish the project. It's like watching some sort of weird giant sewing machine making a dress. The finished result looks stunning and intricate, much like seeing a spider web up close. The images of people actually relaxing in hammocks made by the bots are mind bobbling. It looks impossible for it to hold that much weight. Hammocks are tricky things in themselves; it's hard to imagine someone actually trying to take a nap in one of these.
The next step for the project is to make more complex structures by increasing the number of robots along with their range of motion. The robots are currently limited in how far they can go because they have to be connected to an external power source. The team also wants the bots to have the ability to attach fibers to other surfaces, like ceilings or curved walls allowing for more unusual creations. It's all leading up to what Menges' calls the fourth industrial revolution.
This isn't the first time the carbon fiber technology has been used. Previously, Menges' team used carbon fiber to create long-span architectural roofs and advanced building envelopes. They completed recent projects of a pavilion based on a beetle shell and one inspired by a lobster's exoskeleton using the technology. But those were completed using large industrial robots. Just imagine the unbelievable architecture that could be made with these smaller bots.
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