October 26, 2020, Filed Under: Research Test BedsAdditive Manufacturing of Concrete Structures This project aims to take advantage of a robotic setup to further research in the additive manufacturing of concrete structures for civil and architectural applications. The additional degrees of freedom provided by a robot (compared to a gantry system) translates into additional flexibility of the printing path, allowing for more complex structures and deposition patterns as well as conformal printing on non-planar surfaces. The robot for this setup, a Yaskawa Motoman high speed 6-axis robot, is driven using ROS-based motion planners, allowing for precise yet flexible control of the position and speed of the printhead. Another promising application of the setup is the repair of damaged concrete structures in hazardous environments which is possible by adding a mobile base and vision system. Faculty Members Carolyn SeepersadMitchell Pryor Graduate Student Researcher Ademola Oridate
