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Andrew Saunders Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

RoboFold Ltd.

Gottfried Semper, the nineteenth-century German architect and historian, asserts that

textiles are the origins of buildings. In “Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts,” he

methodically traces the influences of the creation and manipulations of textiles on tech-

niques for fabricating more rigid material tectonics of metal and stone. As a contem-

porary projection of this framework, Robotic Lattice Smock (RLS) transposes the affects

of pliable material tectonics of lattice smocking to folding and bending of planar sheet

metal through computational simulation and robotic fabrication processes.

Due to its practical performance for making textiles form fitting and flexible as well as its

aesthetic, smocking developed as a common embroidering technique used through his-

tory in a range of garments from royalty to laborers. Lattice smocking distributes stitch pat-

terns across a flat grid at specific gathering points. The simple gathering patterns produce

rich relief and complex undulating motifs while shaping and flexing strategic territories of a

garment including cuffs, bodices and necklines. As an architectural skin, the grid translates

easily to a diagrid framework able to morphologically accommodate countless forms and

applications. The RLS process is applicable to any lattice-smocking pattern. For the initial

phase of RLS, an arrow pattern was chosen for its directionality and deep relief.

ROBOTIC LATTICE SMOCK

112RESEARCH PROJECTS ACADIA 2014 DESIGN AGENCY

LATTICE SMOCKING

The act of transposition involves transferring information from one

medium to another. The process involves an integral feedback

loop from the physical to digital and back again. As the material

manipulation techniques transfer from one material to another, each

material asserts distinct physical and geometric characteristics on

the process. The process begins with smocking felt. Felt is chosen

for its relative rigidity so that distinct fold lines and creases emerge

when the fabric is smocked. Once these lines are traced on the felt

in its gathered state, the stitches are released and the felt returns to

a flat sheet, revealing new curved fold patterns on the original grid.

RESULTING CREASE LINES AND CONIC CURVATURE

The new flat patterns are used to cut heavy weight paper templates.

The paper is then refolded to form a more rigid version of the arrow

smock through developable surfaces. Points in the surface with

the most intense gathering are removed to release surface tension,

enabling the new material to fully reform the original position of the

smock. An additional set of surface ruling lines are identified and

traced on the physical paper models. These models are unfolded and

the locations of ruling lines on the flat pattern are used to construct a

precise computational simulation of the folding process.

Front Felt Arrow Smock

Front Gathered Stitch Pattern

Back Felt Arrow Smock

Back Gathered Stitch Pattern

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Paper Nesting Mock-up

ROBOTIC LATTICE SMOCKSAUNDERS, ROBOFOLD LTD.

FLAT CUT DETAIL FOR ALUMINUM BASE MODULE

To accurately model and simulate the transition from flat planer mate-

rial to final folded form in the digital environment, the Live Physic

engine Kangaroo (Grasshopper plug-in developed by Daniel Piker) is

used. The fold and ruling lines traced from the physical models are

used to construct a network of springs and hinge forces. The interac-

tive simulation replicates the folding process, exactly preventing dis-

tortion that is associated with unconstrained digital transformations

and deformations in typical digital modeling environments.

Crease Line Folds Flat Stitch Pattern w/ Developable Curvature

Flat Module w/ Conic Curvature Paper Mock-up

PHYSICAL COMPUTATION–KANGAROO FOLDING SIMULATION (USED TO DRIVE ROBOTIC ARM PATH)

The final phase of transposing smocking techniques to sheet

metal deploys robotic fabrication. The robotic automation enables

efficient mass customization of self-similar panels in addition to

providing brute force to counter the embodied energy of folding

metal. The Kangaroo digital simulation is used to choreograph

the exact movement of multiple robotic arms to achieve the fold.

Once the folding process is simulated with robotic arm placement

with Godzilla (Grasshopper plug-in developed by Gregory Epps), the

final flat pattern for the arrow smock is modified and resized for

positioning of robotic grippers.

114RESEARCH PROJECTS ACADIA 2014 DESIGN AGENCY

Removal of Material to Relieve Tension

Robotic Gripper Spacing

Dbl. Score Line for Folding < 90°

Aligning Sole Plate Attachment Points

Edge Condition Module Extensions

Module Nesting

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSAndrew Saunders in collaboration with RoboFold Ltd.

PENN DESIGN/Sponsored by the Rensselaer 2013 The Robert S. Brown ë52 Fellows Program

Design Team: Sahar Mihandoust, Guo Huanyu, Jessica Collier, Elizabeth Sammartino, Matthew Vogel

RoboFold Team: Gregory Epps, Ema Epps, Florent Michel, Jeg Dudley

IMAGE CREDITSAll image credits to Andrew Saunders & RoboFold (2014).

ANDREW SAUNDERS is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. He re-ceived his Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has significant professional experience as project de-signer for Eisenman Architects, Leeser Architecture and Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. He has taught and guest lectured at a variety of institu-tions, including Cooper Union and the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

In 2004 he was awarded the SOM Research and Traveling Fellowship for Masters of Architecture to pursue his research on the relationship of equation-based geometries to early 20th century pioneers in rein-forced concrete. His current practice and research interests lie in com-putational geometry as it relates to emerging technology, fabrication and performance. He is currently working on a book using parametric modeling as an analysis tool of 17th century Italian Baroque architec-ture. Most recently Andrew won the ACADIA international fabrication competition for the production of the Luminescent Limacon. The de-sign for this lighting fixture was inspired by Flemish baroque portraits of the Dutch ruff and builds on computational and material research from his seminar Equation-based Morphologies.

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Spring Network with Rulings Transfered from Paper Model (Spring Length Equal to Line Length for Zero Material Distortion while Folding)