A ‘Human-In-The-Loop’ Workflow for Realizing Taihu Rocks

This research uses an expanded polystyrene (EPS) Taihu rock as a demonstrator to illustrate a workflow encompassing shape grammar-based design and Mixed Reality (MR)-aided robotic fabrication. It aims to address a post-digital mindset that values human’s tacit knowledge and craftsmanship within CAD-CAM processes, therefore, this research combines three components: an idea of the human-cyber-physical system (HCPS), a from-finding approach, and an augmented materialization method. The investigators first 3D-scanned a natural Taihu rock and interpreted its geometric peculiarities into design generation rules. These rules were then translated into robotic foam-cutting paths. With Head-mounted Display (HMD) and MR technology, human fabricators were able to alter robotic motions on-site per their aesthetical demands.