What Responsibilities Exist When Robotic Automation Fails Due to System Architecture and Not the Robot Itself?

What Responsibilities Exist When Robotic Automation Fails Due to System Architecture and Not the Robot Itself?

When a robotic cell stops or fails to reach the expected performance, the initial reaction is often immediate and almost automatic: the robot is failing. However, in most real industrial projects, the robot is only one component of the system—and not necessarily the source of the issue. This situation raises one of the most sensitive…

CAN A ROBOTIC ARM BE A CREATIVE TOOL… OR JUST A SOULLESS INDUSTRIAL MACHINE?

CAN A ROBOTIC ARM BE A CREATIVE TOOL… OR JUST A SOULLESS INDUSTRIAL MACHINE?

For decades, the robotic arm has been a symbol of efficiency, repetition, and control. In the collective imagination, it belongs to the factory: production lines, welding stations, assembly tasks, timed cycles. That’s why, when it appears in an art studio, an architecture lab, or on a stage, the reaction is often mixed—fascination, yes, but also…

ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND ROBOTICS: WHEN THE ARM BECOMES THE AUTHOR

ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND ROBOTICS: WHEN THE ARM BECOMES THE AUTHOR

In contemporary architecture and design, the question is no longer how to build, but how to design processes capable of generating new ways of thinking about materiality. In this context, robotic arms have evolved beyond being purely industrial tools to become creative agents—able to translate data, algorithms, and conceptual decisions into built matter. Today, architecture…

CAN AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM ADAPT TO CREATIVE CHANGES WITHOUT LOSING THE PROJECT’S IDENTITY?

CAN AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM ADAPT TO CREATIVE CHANGES WITHOUT LOSING THE PROJECT’S IDENTITY?

Doubt does not arise on the factory floor. It arises in the studio. At a table crowded with models, renderings, material samples, and discarded versions. It arises when someone looks at a still-unstable design—intentionally unstable—and wonders if introducing a robot might, deep down, be an elegant way of freezing it too soon. Because in the…

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS AS EDUCATIONAL TOOLS: HOW UNIVERSITIES AND MAKERSPACES USE REFURBISHED ROBOTS TO LEARN, CREATE, AND INNOVATE

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS AS EDUCATIONAL TOOLS: HOW UNIVERSITIES AND MAKERSPACES USE REFURBISHED ROBOTS TO LEARN, CREATE, AND INNOVATE

Industrial robots have long been seen as symbols of automotive and metalworking factories, but this boundary is rapidly disappearing. Today, these robots are found in universities, design labs, architecture schools, research centres, makerspaces, and innovation hubs. The reason is simple: learning about industrial robotics is no longer just about programming movement paths. It now means…

How can industrial robotic arms, built for precision and repetition, be used creatively in unique and expressive artistic projects?

How can industrial robotic arms, built for precision and repetition, be used creatively in unique and expressive artistic projects?

Industrial robots originated in manufacturing environments, performing tasks such as welding, assembling, milling, and moving components with millimetre accuracy. However, over the past decade, artists, designers, and creators have discovered something unexpected: precision can evolve into a new form of artistic expression. What is considered “repetition” in industry can, within the arts, be transformed into…

FROM SET TO STAGE: HOW INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS ARE TRANSFORMING FILM AND LIVE SHOWS

FROM SET TO STAGE: HOW INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS ARE TRANSFORMING FILM AND LIVE SHOWS

The boundaries between industrial robotics and the performing arts are becoming increasingly indistinct. Robots that once performed repetitive tasks on factory floors, such as welding or palletizing, have evolved into sophisticated collaborators in the creative world. Today, these machines can precisely maneuver cameras, control lighting, or even move in harmony with performers on stage. In…

Parametric Design and Robotics: The New Era of Creative Fabrication

Parametric Design and Robotics: The New Era of Creative Fabrication

In the past decade, the lines between design, architecture and industrial robotics have become increasingly blurred. Robotic arms, once the preserve of the automotive industry and heavy manufacturing, are now making their way into design labs, architectural studios and advanced digital fabrication workshops. Thanks to tools such as Rhino and Grasshopper, designers and engineers can…

REFURBISHED ROBOTS IN LARGE-SCALE 3D PRINTING: ARCHITECTURE, MOLDS, AND FUNCTIONAL ART
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REFURBISHED ROBOTS IN LARGE-SCALE 3D PRINTING: ARCHITECTURE, MOLDS, AND FUNCTIONAL ART

Until a few years ago, 3D printing was seen as a technology limited to small prototypes or lightweight parts. However, the industrial reality has shifted: today, everything from casting moulds and aerospace components to urban sculptures and architectural structures is being printed. Behind this quiet revolution stands an unexpected protagonist: refurbished industrial robots, transformed into…

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS IN ART: CREATIVITY, PRECISION AND ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY WITH RETROFITTED ROBOTICS

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS IN ART: CREATIVITY, PRECISION AND ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY WITH RETROFITTED ROBOTICS

There are times when engineering steps out of the factory and enters unexpected territories. One of these is art. What once seemed impossible — that an industrial robot could take part in an artistic creation — is now a reality in museums, biennials, universities, and creative laboratories around the world. Robotic arms no longer just…