Constructing the Future: Intelligent, Building-Scale Additive Manufacturing
Abstract
The building and construction sector is far less automated and mechanized than most industries. While the unstructured environment and lack of assembly-line repeatability provide some justification for the sector’s historical reliance on skilled laborers, advancements in robotics, especially in additive manufacturing technologies, are enabling breakthroughs that may enable high-quality, low-cost and customizable construction using intelligent, building-scale additive manufacturing systems. However, current challenges related to materials performance, reinforcement requirements, and actual printing techniques have so far limited applications of large scale additive manufacturing to primarily experiments and demonstrations that do not yet deliver on the potential of this emerging technology. A new concept is presented involving an actuated print head that could significantly enhance the feasibility of large-scale additive manufacturing applications.
Brief Biography
Brian is currently a student at KAUST and member of the RISC lab, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on robotics and large format additive manufacturing. Brian simultaneously holds a position as a research scientist with Saudi Aramco, where he has worked since 2012. Brian's research at Saudi Aramco has led to the grant of over 30 patents with the USPTO and 6 publications. During his nearly ten years with Saudi Aramco, he achieved the CEO Excellence Award for his work in developing an innovative mobile inspection robot and recently served as the business manager of R&DC before joining KAUST to pursue his Ph.D. Brian holds a bachelor's degree in biology (where he pursued research on an EMG-controlled exoskeleton), an MS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from KAUST, and an MBA in international business from HKUST in Hong Kong.