2015年7月4日，陳列于同濟大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院外的一個創(chuàng)意戶外雕塑吸引了不少同濟學師生駐足觀賞。這個造型特別的創(chuàng)意作品并非人工打造，而是由兩臺KUKA機器人和RoboTeam協同完成。該作品只是當天“數字工廠”機器人建造工作營成果展集中展出的多項創(chuàng)意作品中的一件。

On July 4, an creative outdoor sculpture displayed at the exhibition hall of Tongji Architecture and Urban Planning College drew a lot of attention from students and faculty members. The “Swarm Fabrication”, one of many digital fabrication projects on display at the DADA “ Digital Factory” Workshop Exhibition, was not fabricated by human hands but completed by two collaborative KUKA robots.

為期一周的DADA2015“數字工廠”機器人建造工作營吸引了來自美國南加州USC、美國密歇根大學、美國羅德島設計學院、意大利米蘭理工大學、韓國延世大學、香港大學、臺灣淡江大學、同濟大學、清華大學等多所知名院校學生的積極參與。120多位同學在31位導師帶領下，通過9天時間完成了本次成果展的所有作品。機器人木構建筑、機器人陶土打印、自主建造等設計作品的亮相也為本屆活動畫上了圓滿的句號。

The week-long DADA 2015 “Digital Factory” Robot Fabrication Workshop from June 27 to July 4 at Tongji University attracted students from many renowned universities around the world including the University of South California, University of Michigan, Hong Kong University, Tongji University and Tsinghua University. More than 120 students spent 9 days at the workshop to deliver a series of creative digital projects, covering robotics ceramic printing, robotics wood tectonics and robot team fabrication.

在活動期間，我們采訪到來自奧地利的JohannesBraumann教授和同濟大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院數字設計研究中心袁烽教授。Braumann教授是RobotsinArchitecture“世界機器人在建筑中應用協會”的聯合創(chuàng)辦人之一，也是本次數字建造營的主題演講嘉賓和項目導師。他和袁烽博士將為我們解讀機器人在建筑和創(chuàng)意領域的應用和最新趨勢。（JohannesBraumann以下簡稱“J”；袁烽簡稱“袁”。）

We’ve spoken with Professor Johannes Braumann, co-founder of Robot in Architecture Association and Doctor Yuan Feng from Architecture and Urban Planning College, Tongji University at the exhibition.They have shared their insights on the potential of industrial robots in creative industry, development trends and future plans. (Johannes Braumann referred as “ J ”and Yuan Feng as “ Yuan” in the interview.)

Q:機器人在工業(yè)制造業(yè)已得到廣泛應用，但在建筑和創(chuàng)意領域，機器人的應用似乎還是比較新的嘗試。您作為推動機器人在建筑領域應用的先鋒人物，能否介紹一下最新的應用和發(fā)展趨勢？

Q: Industrial robots are widely used in manufacturing but in architecture and creative industry, it seems there are still a lot of potential and possibilities. Can you tell us more about the current development in these sectors? 

J:相比我們熟悉的工業(yè)領域機器人的應用，比如焊接、涂裝和組裝等，機器人在建筑和創(chuàng)意領域的應用時間并不算長，但在最近十年，這一領域的應用發(fā)展很快。工業(yè)機器人在創(chuàng)意設計領域其實大有可為，這也是創(chuàng)業(yè)產業(yè)越來越多地關注和投入機器人研究的原因。在學術領域，最初我們看到的是嘗試和探索，但現在，更多的是實實在在的研究，目的是讓機器人能在建筑中發(fā)揮更大的作用。

J: The application of robots in creative industry is still quite recent. But In the past ten years, we have seen quite rapid development in using industrial robots in architecture and design. I have also noticed many companies in the creative industry began to show increasing interests in robotics. As to the academic world, at the very beginning most activities were of experimental nature but now we see more and more serious projects involving industrial robots and many universities in Asia are actively looking into to this area. I think there is very good academic atmosphere to drive the development forward.

Q:制造業(yè)和建筑業(yè)性質有很大不同，這是否會對機器人的應用帶來新的挑戰(zhàn)？

Q: In architecture and creative due to different nature of these industries, will robots play a different role compared to their application in manufacturing ?

J：創(chuàng)意產業(yè)和制造業(yè)對機器人的需求有很大的不同。在制造業(yè)的很多環(huán)節(jié)，機器人往往需要從事重復性較高的工作，但在建筑領域，設計師會不斷嘗試新的想法，我們往往需要借助機器人完成創(chuàng)作性的項目。因此，需要機器人兼容程度高、操作更柔性，這就對軟件編程提出了更高要求，所以一款容易使用且具有開放性的軟件，對于首次接觸機器人的設計師來說非常重要。

J: Indeed that creative industry has different needs and requirement for industrial robots. In manufacturing, robots are often doing repetitive work therefore you only need to program the robot once and it will do a perfect job for a long time. But in creative industry, designers are always trying new things and working on new projects, which means we need to provide them with flexible software that allows them to realize ideas in a very quick way. This also applies to academia and universities because they only have students there for a couple of hours each week so they have to be more efficient with time.

Q:您主導開發(fā)了KUKAprc這款應用軟件，讓設計師能將參數化的建模成果直接轉換成機器人語言。為何會選擇KUKA機器人作為開發(fā)平臺？

Q: You led the development of KUKA|prc, a plugin that enables robot control from within architectural software. Can you tell us more about your cooperation with KUKA ? Why choose KUKA robots to work with?

J:2005年，在我開展研究之初，我需要一臺能從事切削應用的設備。KUKA是當時唯一能提供綜合性切削機器人解決方案的供應商。在維也納，KUKA公司離我住的地方很近，我們保持了多年的合作。KUKA看到了機器人在創(chuàng)意設計領域的潛能，也為我的研究提供了很多支持。

J: I started the cooperation with KUKA many years ago. At the beginning of my research, I was just trying to look for a milling machine to do some experimenting projects. At that time KUKA was the only industrial robot manufacturer that can offer integrated milling solution. Since then I have been working with engineers of KUKA  Austria for a long time. They have seen potential and value of robots application in architecture and have been quite supportive for my research. 

對我個人來說，KUKA的機器人設計得非常棒，在創(chuàng)作中，我的很多想法都能通過機器人得以實現。對于創(chuàng)意行業(yè)來說，外型的美觀也是一個重要的因素。盡管是工業(yè)機器人，但KUKA的設計相比而言更有吸引力，也能符合建筑師和設計師對美的需求。此外，對于非工程背景的人來說，KUKA的控制界面簡單、易操作，這也是很多設計院校選擇KUKA的原因。

For me, KUKA robots are well designed and I like the way they work. Most of my ideas can be realized with KUKA robots and I can easily integrate the system with my software. This may just be my personal opinion but I do think the design of KUKA robot has a large appeal to people in the design world. In terms of the interface, KUKA’s control panel is also nicely designed so even for those outside the engineering world, it is still accessible. That I believe is a big reason why so many universities choose KUKA robots.

Q：由您和西格麗德·布瑞爾考根（SigridBrell-Cokcan）教授共同創(chuàng)辦的“世界機器人在建筑中應用協會”每兩年會舉辦一次國際會議。未來，這個學術交流會有可能來到中國嗎？

Q: Rob|Arch conference next year will be held in Australia. We know the past two sessions gained supported from many renowned universities &institutions around the world. Will it be possible for the conference to come to China? 

J：是的。2012年，我們在維也納舉辦了首屆RobIArch國際會議；2014年，在美國密歇根成功舉辦了第二屆。而明年，會議將在澳大利亞墨爾本舉辦，目前已經得到了包括悉尼大學、墨爾本皇家理工學院等高校的支持，這也是我們首次在亞洲舉辦活動。其實把地點選在澳洲，也是一次新的嘗試。據我所知，澳洲近半數的設計院校都配備了KUKA機器人，他們對機器人在建筑和創(chuàng)意領域的應用非常重視。當然，我也希望這個活動能吸引學術圈以外的企業(yè)和組織參與，這也是我這次同濟之行的目的之一。我們希望能與KUKA中國共同推進這一目標。

J：Robots in architecture is an industry association and an open platform for everybody interested in the creative use of industrial robots. It is fund by me together with Sigrid Brell-Cokcan. In 2012, we held the first conference in Vienna and in 2014, we went to Michigan. Next year, we will hold the third conference in Melbourne, which will be the first time we have this event in Asia. We have gain a lot of support from local universities like Sydney Universities and RMIT. In Australia, robot’s application in architecture is hit topic and as far as I know, nearly half of the design schools have robots. I think in universities, there is a tendency to choose KUKA robots. This is especially true in Asia, like Australia where we see that if one university chose KUKA robots, the others are likely to follow as they can exchange knowledge and it is quick and easier to start with.I certainly think it is possible for us to hold this conference in China. This is why I wanted to work more with KUKA China to know local projects and companies. 

Q:您如何看待自己現在的身份？工程師、建筑師、還是導師？

Q : Do you see yourself as engineer, architect, programmer or mentor? 

J：其實我的背景并不是軟件工程或技術工程師，而是建筑設計。接觸機器人是一個很偶然的機會。2005年，我在維也納技術大學擔任助教，從那時起，我有機會嘗試將機器人用在各種可能的創(chuàng)意環(huán)節(jié)中。建筑師的身份讓我能更了解建筑設計的需求，我覺得這也是一種優(yōu)勢。如果談到教學的話，我很享受和學生的接觸，他們總是愿意嘗試新的想法，也讓我能跳出慣性思維，獲得更多收獲。以下是袁烽教授談同濟大學和Braumann教授及“世界機器人在建筑中應用協會”未來的合作。

J：In fact I’m not coming from engineering or computer science. I’m from an architect. I got into robotics in a naive way when I was working at Vienna   university. I think my architecture background is quite beneficially as I won’t be confined by certain rules and I understand the unique needs of architecture. As to my role, I really this it is a mix of educator and engineer. I enjoy school environment very much and I like to spend time with my students. They’re always willing to try new ideas and I’m often inspired by them.

Q：同濟大學一直以來走在中國建筑設計領域的前沿。您如何看待機器人在建筑和創(chuàng)意領域的應用潛能？

Q: Tongji University is a leading institution in architecture and engineering education in China. What is your view on robot’s application in architecture and creative industry? 

袁：機器人在制造業(yè)的應用已經非常廣泛，但在創(chuàng)意領域相對來說探索才剛開始。在創(chuàng)意設計行業(yè)，機器人提供了新的創(chuàng)作媒介，可以說是大腦和手的延伸。這幾年，我們看到在很多跨界領域都開始出現機器人的身影，這也是因為大家看到了人工智能與藝術設計結合帶來的可能性。

Yuan: Robot’s application in architecture is still new in China. In recent years, we have seen the trend of use of robots in cross-industry applications increasing. People in the creative industry start to see possibilities brought by this technology. In creative sectors, industrial robots can be seen as a new media or platform. They are “empowered” by human brains and they can do lot of work that can’t be done by human hands.

Q:目前，國內的建筑設計院校對機器人的應用情況如何？同濟和KUKA有哪些合作？ 同濟大學建筑與城市規(guī)劃學院是否會和“世界機器人在建筑中應用協會”有更緊密的合作？

Q: How do you see China in terms of robots application in design and architecture? Will there be more cooperation with Professor Johannes Braumman and Robots in Architecture ? 

袁：目前國內的200多所設計院校中，僅有包括同濟大學在內的3所院校配有機器人。在過去三年里，同濟大型機器人工作室的2臺KUKA機器人已經幫助我們完成了很多創(chuàng)意作品，可以說同濟大學在這一領域走在了前面。對于學校來說，機器人的可靠性、準確性以及是否經常維護等因素是我們在選擇機器人供應商時的重要考量因素，我覺得KUKA機器人能很好地滿足我們這些要求。

“世界機器人在建筑中應用協會”是一個世界性的創(chuàng)意機器人應用交流平臺。這個平臺讓大家分享機器人在建筑、藝術和創(chuàng)意領域的應用成果，也集合了全球這一領域的先鋒人物。我們已經和“世界機器人建筑協會”達成了合作意向，計劃在中國成立“世界機器人建筑協會”亞洲中心，學院也非常期待與Braumann教授未來的合作。

Yuan: Robots in Architecture presents an open platform for anyone interested in robotics in the architecture industry to share ideas and it connects academic pioneers, educators and professionals from all over the world. In China, only three architecture and design institutions have industrial robots. Our Rob Team of two KUKA robots have done many creative projects in the past three years. For universities, when we choose a robot to work with, we certainly would consider several factors, like reliability, accuracy, easy to use and maintenance. KUKA robots answered all our requests. We’re pleased to work with KUKA.

Another good news for us is we have already signed a memo with Professor Braumann to make Tongji the home of Robots in Architecture in Asia. We are looking forward to our future cooperation in this area.