Computer Scientists Help Build a Wooden Dome Made from Waste

Multiple challenging uses of computing to address a complex problem. 

Computer Scientists Help Build a Wooden Dome Made Solely from Waste

ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Rahel Künzler, April 26, 2022

A team of architects, engineers, and computer scientists at Switzerland's ETH Zurich built a geodesic dome using demolition waste. The team members salvaged plywood panels, wooden beams, steel girders, and plastic piping from an old car depot in Geneva before its demolition. One student programmed an algorithm to calculate the geometry and dimensions of the desired dome based on the available timber, with the goal of utilizing as much of the scrap wood as possible. Another created an online platform for building materials that serves as a digital material passport, with each piece of wood marked with a QR code that links to the platform. Said team leader Catherine De Wolf, “Projects like this one can only succeed if all the stakeholders are on the same page.”   ... ' 

Addressing Sheet Metal Design Waste

 Note the connection between design and fabrication. in a workflow.  Minimizing waste.   If you have a model of workflow, its easier to look at things like design and waste,  And AI methods can address patterns that minimize waste. 

MIT CSAIL taps AI to reduce sheet metal waste  By Kyle Wiggers @Kyle_L_Wiggers  in Venturebeat

Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) say they’ve created an AI-powered tool that provides feedback on how different parts of laser-cut designs should be placed onto metal sheets. By analyzing how much material is used in real time, they claim that their tool — called Fabricaide — allows users to better plan designs in the context of available materials.

Laser cutting is a core part of industries spanning from manufacturing to construction. However, the process isn’t always efficient. Cutting sheets of metal requires time and expertise, and even the most skillful users can produce leftovers that go to waste.

Fabricaide ostensibly solves this with a workflow that “significantly” shortens the feedback loop between design and fabrication. The tool keeps an archive of what a user has done, tracking how much of each material they have left and allowing the user to assign multiple materials to different parts of the design to be cut. This simplifies the process so that it’s less of a headache for multimaterial designs.