Or Role: Robotics Development (Wyatt Armstrong at Architectural Association)
Camera Integration: Gary Edwards
Image Credit: Will Gowland
As a key fabrication workflow for the Fieldstation project, the Robotic Vision System was developed for a part to tool operation using non-standard timber stock. The system is comprised of a laptop, a structured light scanner, a KR-150 robotic arm and a circular saw attached to a cast steel bowl lathe. In the first iteration, a 250mm Makita circular saw was bolted to a lathe, which was later swapped for a 400mm circular saw from a radial arm saw. The robot arm uses a custom pneumatic gripper to pick up pre-selected branches from a stock loading rail. The branches are shown to the structured light scanner which sends a series of scans back to the laptop. Geometry analysis is run on the scans to find a centreline curve describing the centre of the branch, or approximately the pith of the wood. Using this centreline, a stock model detailing the joinery is positioned within the scanned branch. The translation of the stock model, as it orients to the branch, carries the cutting positions and adjusts the robots toolpath. The toolpath can then run and a jointed component is produced to within a 0.5mm tolerance. From start to finish, a part can be produced every six minutes.