Robotics is transforming the way architects design and fabricate buildings. This course, Robotic Design & Digital Fabrication in Architecture, teaches you how to integrate robotic systems directly into your computational design workflow using Rhino and Grasshopper.
You will learn how to use industrial robot arms—specifically through KUKA|prc—to simulate, program, and execute fabrication strategies for architectural applications. Instead of treating robotics as a separate engineering field, this course shows you how to connect parametric design with real-world manufacturing logic.
Throughout the course, you will explore:
- Robot setup and simulation inside Rhino/Grasshopper
- Linear and advanced robotic movements
- Custom tool creation and configuration
- CNC milling with robotic arms
- Hot-wire cutting for foam geometries
- Robotic 3D printing and additive manufacturing workflows
- Toolpath generation and optimization
- Preparing robot-ready fabrication files
You will work with both simple and complex geometries, learning how to translate digital models into efficient robotic toolpaths. The course emphasizes practical understanding—such as material behavior, step-over distances, layer height control, spindle setup, and extrusion strategies—so you can confidently move from screen to machine.
By the end of this course, you will understand how to design for robotic fabrication, simulate full production workflows, and prepare projects for real-world architectural prototyping.
Whether you are an architecture student, computational designer, or digital fabrication enthusiast, this course will give you the technical and conceptual foundation to bring robotics into your design process.
