Robotic application of foam concrete onto bare wall elements - Analysis, concept and robotic experiments

In the course of frequently altering energy saving regulations, numerous buildings have to be comprehensively refurbished to meet the rising energy-efficiency standards in order to protect the global environment and to save resources. However, available materials as well as adaptable design concepts for additional energy-saving insulation layers are not yet convincing in terms of their long term recyclability or variation of shape. Therefore, we investigate the application of foam concrete onto bare walls of existing buildings to gain a facade finish which is highly insulating, easily recyclable and at the same time promises to be individually designable due to the properties of the raw material mixture. To ensure controllable as well as reproducible application and to react to changing working methods in architecture and construction, the research focuses on the automatized application of foam concrete using a robotic setup. We analyzed manual application strategies of foam concrete, considering parameters of handcraft, used tools as well as the reaction on varying material characteristics during application. Based on the analysis results, we present a concept for the robotic application of foam concrete, including suggestions regarding end effectors, robot programming and surface design planning.