Nature publication on Aerial Additive Manufacturing Research

AERIAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (AERIAL AM)

In the journal Nature, we introduce a method of additive manufacturing, referred to as aerial additive manufacturing (Aerial-AM), that utilizes a team of aerial robots inspired by natural builders such as wasps who use collective building methods. We pioneer demonstrations in untethered additive manufacturing in-flight with custom cementitious and composite materials using custom drone hardware, control systems and a mission-planning framework that supports swarm-based parallel manufacturing, a semi-autonomous approach to collective robotic construction.

The research was developed by a consortium of researchers at University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London, University College, Empa and the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology, University of Bath, Queen Mary University of London, and Technical University of Munich.

See:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04988-4
https://www.aml-penn.com/blog/2021/cipd-a67zn

The Autonomous Manufacturing Lab (AML) explores the integration of robotic manufacturing and construction within architectural design. The AML aims to reduce the environmental and economic costs of design and production while enhancing their cultural and aesthetic impact. The lab's integrative methods for generative design and manufacturing are developed as semi-autonomous systems, exploring possibilities for artisanal-like craftsmanship to be scaled to large production volumes. This approach provides greater specificity and enhanced aesthetic character in design responses compared to traditional automated methods, whilst also reducing material use and waste within bespoke design and production processes. The AML's research enhances design and production capabilities across diverse manufacturing methods and materials by developing industrial and mobile robot fabrication techniques, multi-agent systems, AI/machine learning computational approaches, and applications of real-time sensor and computer vision technologies. This multidisciplinary research includes the development of Aerial Additive Manufacturing, recently published in Nature, which demonstrates the world’s first in-flight additive manufacturing by cooperating drones, representing a rapidly deployable form of collective robotic construction.

University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design
The Weitzman School of Design prepares students to address complex sociocultural and environmental issues through thoughtful inquiry, creative expression, and innovation. As a diverse community of scholars and practitioners, we are committed to advancing the public good–both locally and globally–through art, design, planning, and preservation.

AML-PENN

AML-PENN

list-news

AML-PENN

Nature publication on Aerial Additive Manufacturing Research

AERIAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (AERIAL AM)

AML-PENN