TROPOS
Spyropoulos Studio AADRL 2019 - 2020
Director Theodore Spyropoulos Studio Tutors Mustafa El Sayed Apostolos Despotidis Aleksander Bursac Team Akis [Evangelos] Polykandriotis Giulia Arienzo Malori Shiri Dobrinsky Tao Yu
01 Design Thesis Studio Brief Statement
06 08 10
02 Design Research Airborne Infrastructure Concepts of Atmosphere Adaptive Systems
12 14 30 42
03 The Unit Unit ID Initial Geometrical Explorations Transformation Mobility 04 Population Communication Organizational Rules Local Behaviour Spatial Configuration
54 56 62 68 84
05 Unit-Human Communication Behaviour Patterns Spatial Deployment Illumination Strategy
150 156 164 170
06 Urban Deployment Migration Strategy Environmental Implications Urban Lifecycle
176 178 182 188
07 Bibliography
216
120 126 132 144
01 DESIGN THESIS
01.1 STUDIO BRIEF
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What once served to categorise the natural and the man-made worlds have been rendered obsolete. When distinctions of the real and artificial, human and nonhuman fail to offer insight, the challenge is how best can we design for a latent and unknown world. Within this uncertainty, new conceptual terrains emerge that raise questions of agency and intelligence. Hans Hollien’s provocative 1968 contribution in the journal Bau titled ‘Alles ist Architektur (Everything is Architecture)’ may offer some insight when he stated, ‘Man creates artificial conditions. This is architecture. Physically and psychically man repeats, transforms, expands his physical and psychical sphere.’ It is the speculative capacity to invent and construct alternative models that affords architecture its capacity to engage and make things accessible, proto-typing ideas as much as the host environments that may play witness to them.
experimentation has always been an active participant in exploring, prototyping and speculating our relationships with these technologies. To address these challenges we must construct frameworks that allow us to coconstruct solutions. Computation and design research affords us this capacity to create and communicate new solution spaces and understandings. Environmental conditioning, machine learning and collective building will challenge the next generation of designers to explore computation beyond form and geometry. Architecture will construct new territories for enquiry; programmable matter, emotive spaces, behavioural ecologies may signal just a few. The studio will approach architecture as an infrastructure and technology as culture. Towards a behavioural architecture…
The desire is to see architecture as active, anticipatory and adaptive through continuous exchanges that are real-time and behaviour-based. Through this expanded field of understanding we can consider materiality as something that is not inert and finite but that is life-like, evolving and aware. If Hollien believed ‘All is Architecture’ today our studio would argue my mantra that, ‘All is Behavior.’ Architecture over the last fifty years has witnessed a revolution within communication, computation and technological progress. It is important to remind ourselves that architectural
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01.2 THESIS STATEMENT
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Tropos is an aerial prototypical system with the aim of generating an additional layer of infrastructure to be implemented in the urban fabric. We live in a world constructed of complex relationships. The interaction occurring within and in between processes, facilitated by the advance of technology, generating and being generated by rapidly changing environments. Within this context, we believe that architecture should be able to contain the changes, adapt, and participate. Infrastructure is to become architecture. The existing infrastructure as we know it is characterized by its functional and operational role in the urban fabric. Distributed throughout the city, it is fundamentally invasive and permanent, fixing and freezing the foundations of the urban layout.
for free movement. The system operates by localized communication generating a reactionary swarm of agents, performing a higher level of organization, enabling real time decision making, which makes it adaptive and flexible. Achieving a sense of space within the temporary nature of the system requires the use of atmospheric element, which is facilitated by the use of illumination and the transformable geometrical properties of the system. Those attributes, which are implemented in the individual unit, also serve as a strategy for mobility, formation and communication between units and the human participants, enriching the level of interaction. In a population, coordination and cooperation within the system is manifesting diverse spatial configurations, enabling the system to achieve various goals.
We propose a model for an infrastructure aiming to augment the experience of the inhabitants of the city through an interactive medium. We believe that infrastructure should be dynamic and flexible, and to have a tendency of temporality. Implemented in the existing urban fabric, it should be able to respond to the changing conditions, deform and adapt, thus it should operate in a non-invasive manner . These properties are to be achieved by bottom-up research methodologies. Therefore, we are basing our system in the air, allowing freedom in terms of mobility and dynamism, leaving no footprint and liberating the ground level
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02 PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
02.1 AIRBORNE INFRASTRUCTURE
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CONTROL SYSTEMS Tropos is a robotic system programmed under parameters that simulate complexity, allowing it to exhibit new abilities such as being robust, resilient, and accomplishing tasks that individual units wouldn’t be able to achieve by themselves. The urban landscape becomes a playground for it to develop and evolve extensively, giving back to the landscape a new layer of information. In order to do so, Tropos becomes a part of the urban infrastructure. To incorporate such a system into an urban environment, there are strategies that have been developed both theoretically and practically and can be used as models for implementing such a system in a complex urban fabric.
Air Traffic Control Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a system for managing aircrafts traffic in both air and ground, based on communication and data transfer between various factors, such as air traffic controller, air traffic officer (located in the control tower), the terminal radar approach control, and of course the pilot, and etc1. Each factor has its own responsibility within the 7 stages cycle that an aircraft goes through, whereas the information flow happens both on the local and global scale (see diagram). The control facilities are depending on the location within the Flight Information Regions (FIR), which 1 Freudenrich, Craig. How Air Traffic Control Works. https:// science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airtraffic-control.htm
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PREFLIGHT - ON THE GROUND | local airport's air traffic officer in the control tower gives clearance to fly, a route to take, and which taxiways to use before takeoff TAKEOFF - FISRT MILES IN THE AIR | under the guidance of your local air traffic controller DEPARTURE + DESCENT - IN THE AIR | the plane's control is transferred to a Terminal Radar Approach facility (TRACON). EN-ROUTE - CRUISING ALTITUDE | the information is transmitted to the center controller of the zone that the aircraft has entered. 10 MILES AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY | the information is passed to the local controller on the ATCT. LANDING | information goes to ground control and the aircraft is directed to the gate at the terminal where the information flow ends. Fig 01 | Air Traffic Map
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information flow diagram
consist of different classes and different types of areas. The classification of airspace determines the limitations and the types of activities allowed in a certain area2. The responsible factor in each stage of the flight is based on proximity which is detected by radars backed up by direct communication. The flight plan is usually determined on the ground and is based on the navigation database, which consists of all relevant information regarding the flight, but although predetermined, the plan can be modified in real-time according to changes in weather conditions or massive air traffic3. Path Planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have the ability of behaving autonomously, manifest advanced level of movement and intelligence, therefore the variety and possible applications of their technology increases. One of the key features responsible for the UAV to accomplish its task is dynamic path planning4. Path planning is a strategy that has been developed for autonomous behavior in robotics. It is the feature which allows UAV the autonomous flight. Path planning is aimed to be able to generate a safe path to the UAV and its environment in an 2 Introduction to Airspace. https://www.nats.aero/ae-home/ introduction-to-airspace/ 3 Freudenrich, Craig. How Air Traffic Control Works. https:// science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airtraffic-control.htm 4 Huang, Chenxi, Yisha Lan, Yuchen Liu, Wen Zhou, Hongbin Pei, Longzhi Yang, Yongqiang Cheng, Yongtao Hao, and Yonghong Peng. "A new dynamic path planning approach for unmanned aerial vehicles." Complexity 2018 (2018).
environment that includes dynamic and non-dynamic obstacles5. There are two currently existing methods for path planning: global and local. The local path planning is quicker, it is real-time based and responsive, in the same time it is also less precise when dealing with goal achievement. On the other hand, the global method has more accuracy due to the fact that the path is pre-planned according to environmental data collected analyzed in advance in order to determine the path before the operation of the vehicle6. Several models for path planning have been developed by researchers, some of which have a common concept of the process, as elaborated and extended by Raffaello D’Andrea and Myungsoo Jun. D’Andrea and Jun propose a two step approach - “first the generation of a preliminary polygonal path by using a graph, and then a refinement of the path”7, while considering dynamic environment and multiple vehicles. The preliminary path is based on graph theory, whereas a path is a sequence of links between nodes. This path is embedded in a probability map, which contains the origin point and the target. By using the shortest path algorithm a polygonal path 5 Jun, Myungsoo, and Raffaello D’Andrea. "Path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles in uncertain and adversarial environments." In Cooperative control: models, applications and algorithms, pp. 95-110. Springer, Boston, MA, 2003. 6 Huang, Chenxi, Yisha Lan, Yuchen Liu, Wen Zhou, Hongbin Pei, Longzhi Yang, Yongqiang Cheng, Yongtao Hao, and Yonghong Peng. "A new dynamic path planning approach for unmanned aerial vehicles." Complexity 2018 (2018). 7 Jun, Myungsoo, and Raffaello D’Andrea. "Path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles in uncertain and adversarial environments." In Cooperative control: models, applications and algorithms, pp. 95-110. Springer, Boston, MA, 2003.
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is generated, and then, the path is being “smoothed� to be compatible for UAV again by using an algorithm8. For larger numbers of UAVs there is a more suitable method of path planning based on high population evolutionary models, mostly driven by behaviour of natural organism.
evolving systems, therefore we propose a system that manifests real-time decision making, based on dynamic communication, allowing flexibility and adaptability. Addressing collective goals or targets, coupling with responsiveness to environmental conditions, helps Tropos evolve and develop new patterns of aerial behaviour.
Most of designed control systems are based on top down approach, which implements predetermined functions without a notion of agency. It is our opinion that control is a weak concept when it comes to continuously 8 Ibid
Fig 02 | Triangular Box Kite
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SPACE-FRAMES AS A STRATEGY The brain embedded in Tropos should allow it to function as an aerial infrastructure just as much as its body. In the search for a lightweight structure that will also exhibit strength and resistance, we chose to explore space-frame structures as a strategy for generating an airborne system. The Kites of Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell, an inventor well known for his development of the telephone, had a great interest in aerodynamics, which oriented him towards exploring airborne structures9. After concentrating on the lift aspect, Bell moved to focus on geometrical explorations and experimental designs of triangulated kites. The first experiments were with box kites. 9 The Public Domain Review, Alexander Graham Bell’s Tetrahedral Kites (1903–9).
The challenge that he faced during this time was to find a way to increase the size of the kites without increasing the weight of the structure. As a result, the triangular box kite was born (Fig 02). With these explorations came the realization that tetrahedral shape, which is triangulated in every direction, is the optimal structure for the skeleton of the kite10. A tetrahedron is a tridimensional geometry composed of four equilateral triangles. When many of these geometries are placed together, links between vertices are significantly reduced because they can be shared11. The tetrahedral structure 10 Bell, Alexander Graham. The tetrahedral principle in kite structure. Judd & Detweiler, 1903.https://structuresvolantes. files.wordpress.com/2018/11/national-geography-june-1903. 11 Aerohistory, Alexander Graham-Bell: His Years for Kites 1891 - 1909, section 1.
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Fig 03 | Tetrahedral Kite
Fig 04 | A Worker Inside A Kite
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design responds to the ability to lessen the weight-to-surface area ratio, thus making the structure lightweight and highly resistant12. From that point, the kites were all constructed by the same base unit (20 cm tetrahedron), composed in different configurations, each was tested and catalogued, as a result of which he obtained an extensive study of flying behaviour. In 1907 first time that one of his kites lifted a man is recorded. Containing 3,393 cells and equipped with floats for landing, the kite managed to go up 168 ft and stayed in the air for 7 minutes13. Konrad Wachsmann's Space-Frame Structures Konrad Wachsmann approached to space-frames as a way of experimenting lightweight and flexible structures. He believed that the industrialization of construction and fabrication methods can contribute to the modularity idea and ability to generate an adaptive form of architecture. As a response to the contradiction between the monumental constructions to the actual patterns of the city, Wachsmann proposed a lightweight, almost floating, space frames structure, to represent the idea of systems and networks, which can continuously
12 The Public Domain Review, Alexander Graham Bell’s Tetrahedral Kites (1903–9). 13 Ibid.
change and evolve while every element matters14.
“.. the smallest nucleus of a living unit or an unlimited urban system, including traffic arteries and supply and return systems, vertically or horizontally, now become adaptable, changing, expanding or contracting phenomena as a realisation of primary, but not only abstract, ideas.”15 14 Wachsmann, Konrad. The Art of Joining. https://www. pidgeondigital.com/talks/the-art-of-joining/chapters/ 15 Ibid.
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The development and design of the US Army Hangar was one of his earliest works, as well as his most well known space frame structure. This project led Wachsmann to an understanding that when a structure becomes a process of connecting points, it allows both lightweight and strength, which offers a variety of spatial explorations16. As an attempt to create infinite, selfgenerating structure, Wachsmann developed the Grapevine Structure. It was composed of elements that constructed spatialized joints, generating tension in the system tending to shift away from the rest of the components. The interlocking of the elements created a space frame that was not bound horizontally, generating a powerful tectonic17. Wachsmann’s 16 Pawley, Martin. "Konrad Wachsmann: the greatest architect of the twentieth century." Architects Journal 2 (1999). 17 Burkhalter, M. and Sumi, C. Konrad Wachsmann and the Grapevine Structure. Zurich: Park Books, 2018. P. 12
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structures, as exhibited in his drawings, were not completely rigid and maintained a certain flexibility. This, together with the fabric like configuration (made out of relatively rigid components), aligns with his notion of architecture that is adaptive to outside forces18. “This end-product, "the building".. can really be no more than a by-product, composed by the incidental need for the fulfilment of momentary causes. But the process, such as material and method, in short, in production technology demonstrates already all inventive imagination, fantasy, but based on knowledge or rationality, not on dreams.”19
Fig 05 | Nine Hinges 18 Ibid. p. 12 19 Wachsmann, Konrad. The Art of Joining. https://www. pidgeondigital.com/talks/the-art-of-joining/chapters/
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As airborne based structure, the units need to be designed to perform at their maximum capability, allowing it a certain velocity, ability to smoothly change direction and to easily reconfigure. We are using space frames as a strategy for the body of the unit to achieve lightweight structure, which contributes to its capability to be mobile, as well as a certain level of flexibility when it faces various applications, allowing the units to exhibit different types of behaviours.
Fig 06 | US Army Hangar Fig 07 | Grapewine Structure
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Fig 08 | Earl's Court Exhibition building under construction, 1936
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URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE The evolution of the city from pre-industrial era can be observed as adding more layers of complexity. If the city started as “fundamentally skeleton and skin” (mitchell), the industrial age is characterized by the accumulation of networked systems, which can also be called infrastructure, crossing the city and behave in a more sophisticated way. This includes transportation, water and energy supply, and waste removal system. From the concept of static structures which define voids and space, to a complex system which is able to shift material and people within this spatiality.20
physical aspect of the city, but also influence the organizational structures and social forms. They are implemented in a city in a fixed way, depending on predetermined paths, and “by virtue of their physical embeddedness in urban (sub-)structures and their reliance on powerful regulatory and economic interests, they tend to be resistant to change.”21
The modern city is based on its infrastructure, which is not only shaping the
The digital and technological developments introduce new approach to the configuration of infrastructure, challenging the existing paradigm and offering a more agile system. A new type of infrastructure emerges, generating a layer which is shifting how we operate in the city and transforming
20 William J MItchell - e-Topia: The Design of Digital Cities, 22 May, 2015. available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WtXoEMEC1-A
21 Guy, Simon, Simon Marvin, and Will Medd, eds. Shaping urban infrastructures: intermediaries and the governance of sociotechnical networks. Routledge, 2011.
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the existing concept of urban spatial configurations. This requires rethinking architecture and urban design and broaden its capabilities to contain both physical and virtual places, interlinked through technological means. “And we must recognize that the fundamental web of relationships among homes, workplaces, and sources of everyday supplies and services- the essential bond that hold cities together- may now be formed in a new and unorthodox ways.�22 In this scenario, digital information becomes significant component in all industries, interconnecting between different fields. The ability to store and process information is generating a potential for emergent of new technologies. The global digital network, with a capacity to overcome distance and speed up processes, is forming a new type of relationship, constructed between a person and information.23
22 Mitchell, William J. e-topia: Urban life, Jim—but not as we know it. MIT press, 1999. p.07 23 Ibid
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The City's Infrastructure Layers
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02.2 CONCEPTS OF ATMOSPHERE
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BUILDING ATMOSPHERE Experiencing space is almost involuntary. This experience immediately engages our five Aristotelian senses, but moreover, it also involves other senses, such as “orientation, gravity, balance, stability, motion, duration, continuity, scale, and illumination.”1 All of those absorb our surroundings in a more complex way, which allows us to create a unique understanding of a place. The experience of an atmosphere has to do with intuition, an instinctive reaction that goes beyond the materiality, ambiance or enclosure, offering a different reading of a space, based on perception and diffused
1 Böhme, G., Elíasson, Ó. and Pallasmaa, J., 2014. Architectural atmospheres: On the experience and politics of architecture. Walter de Gruyter.
senses2. Atmosphere is being perceived before the analytical part of the brain starts defining the feasible attributes of the space, generating an emotive image of a place3. “..atmospheres imbue everything, they tinge the whole of the world or a view, they bathe everything in a certain light, unify a diversity of impressions in a single emotive state.”4 When talking about atmosphere, the experience of a place involves not only multisensorial engagement but also the 2 Havik, K., Teerds, H., & Tielens, G. (2013). Editorial. Building atmosphere, OASE, (91), 3–12. Retrieved from https://www. oasejournal.nl/en/Issues/91/Editorial 3 Pallasmaa, Juhani. "Space, place and atmosphere. Emotion and peripherical perception in architectural experience." Lebenswelt. Aesthetics and philosophy of experience. 4 (2014). 4 Böhme, Gernot. "The art of the stage set as a paradigm for an aesthetics of atmospheres." Ambiances. Environnement sensible, architecture et espace urbain (2013).
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accumulated experiences each individual has encountered throughout his life. In this sense, atmosphere is individualized5.
“Atmospheres are something entirely subjective: in order to say what they are or, better, to define their character, one must expose oneself to them, one must experience them in terms of one’s own emotional state. Without the sentient subject, they are nothing.”6 By the use of architectural tools, atmospheres can be generated, and by using collective knowledge and common sense, the experience of an atmosphere can be shared, creating a platform for interaction and engagement.
5 Havik, K., Teerds, H., & Tielens, G. (2013). Editorial. Building atmosphere, OASE, (91), 3–12. Retrieved from https://www. oasejournal.nl/en/Issues/91/Editorial 6 Böhme, Gernot. "The art of the stage set as a paradigm for an aesthetics of atmospheres." Ambiances. Environnement sensible, architecture et espace urbain (2013).
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Technology is enabling new means of generating atmosphere, extending the
THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY notion of experiencing space, and can also contribute to a change in a way that a place is experienced over time. An example of the use of technology in generating atmosphere is project Loon, developed by Google, in order to develop a new kind of technology that can bring remote communities together by providing them with internet service. In populated and urban areas, cell towers provide the infrastructure necessary to deliver internet to the people, but the further away from these places, the most difficult it becomes to invest in such infrastructure. As an alternative, Loon is lighter-than-air filled balloons designed in a way in which they can exist in the stratosphere, approximately 20 km above the ground, and stay there for up to a hundred days, due to energy efficient design
including solar panels7. The navigation of the balloons in the air is based on autonomous decision making algorithms, which take the wind currents under consideration, whereas each balloon can move into the right direction of the wind blow in order to reach its desired direction8. Through a network of communication between the balloons, a ground base operator signaling, and the end user, the system of Loon is spreading internet connection throughout a large coverage area. The system is also designed for maintenance and is set for receiving the balloons on the ground while coordinating with air traffic control, and being still able to provide internet services. 7 Loon, Loon. https://loon.com 8 Ibid.
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Loon generates atmosphere, not only by appearing as a new network in the sky, but also by way of transforming the lifestyle of people enabling them to use of the internet. Atmosphere is not about an ephemeral experience, it is rather about an impression that lasts, it has to do with the notion of how the world can expand into new technologies that are accompanied by new morphologies.
Fig 09 | Loon
“As we enter a space, the space
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PERCEPTION OF SPACE enters us, and the experience is essentially an exchange and fusion of the object and the subject.”9 Perception is what is imprinted in us as humans. It is the unintelligible part of experiencing space that involves emotions and comes before the conscious and aware part of the mind. Perception is the intuitive part of constructing an image of a place in our mind, it is also what generates a connection between a person and its environment, which establishes a relationship between sensing and feeling. Synergetics | the geometry of a space 9 Böhme, G., Elíasson, Ó. and Pallasmaa, J., 2014. Architectural atmospheres: On the experience and politics of architecture. Walter de Gruyter.
Buckminster Fuller had a systematic approach to the existence of things in the universe. In his masterpiece Synergetics he gives a comprehensive geometrical and mathematical explanation to how nature is being structured, which he suggests should be the tool for problem solving and design. “The fundamental hypothesis behind synergetics—and the work of many other pioneers exploring the science of form—is that nature's structuring occurs according to the requirements of minimum energy, itself a function of the interplay between physical forces and spatial constraints.”10 Synergetics is based on the idea that 10 Edmondson, Amy C. A Fuller explanation: The synergetic geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. p.12
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geometry has physical properties and generates a link between dimensions and energy quanta11. Fuller introduces a different spatial approach whereas the axial system as we knew it is not accurate, and a 60 degrees radial system is the right way to describe all elements, thus all natural structures can be described by the same tools. Based on his systematic approach Fuller believes that the starting point should always be the universe12 , which is, according to Fuller, a finite scenario13 of all aggregated partly overlapping experiences, consisting of “all the separate integralaggregate systems of all men’s consciously apprehended and communicated (to self or others) nonsimultaneous, nonidentical, but 11 Fuller, R. Buckminster. Synergetics: explorations in the geometry of thinking. Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller, 1982. 12 Ibid. section 305.01 13 Ibid. section 321.04
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always complementary and only partially overlapping, macro-micro, always-andeverywhere, omnitransforming, physical and metaphysical, weighable and unweighable event sequences.”14 We are all part of the universe, however each person’s universe is based on his own experiences which makes the universe an individual scenario. Our perception of our environment is based on our experience in it, and although experience is individual in its essence, it can be shared when it takes place in spatial context. The senses play an essential role in how we experience space and therefore manipulating, enhancing or blurring one or more senses has been used as a tool to create spatial atmosphere. Immersive Spaces 14 Ibid. section 303.00
Fig 10 | Synergetic Building Construction
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“the spatiality becomes a landscape of successive transformations, a topology of emergence or a plane of becoming, which is merely defined by lines of forces, and occurs as an alive territory rather than a limited space of predefined borders.." Görgüla, Prof.Dr. Emine. Space as a Becoming: Fresh Water Expo Pavilion as a Creative Practice for an Architecture to Come
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Fig 11 | Blind Light, by Antony Gromley
Atmospheres are also concerned with boundaries, both physical and social. Since entering an atmosphere is an emotive experience, it is not defined by regular architectural attributes and thus its boundaries are blurred and the transition is gradual. Our bodies are also boundary definers, as for the concept of a person as an entity with fluctuating boundaries, walking through space and time, changing patterns. We become an active part of the becoming of a space, defining its boundaries and being part of cultural processes. In regard to social boundaries, when our sight or hearing is weakened, the ordinary proximity changes and potential for intimacy and different behaviours emerge. Antony Gormley, a British sculptor, successfully address some of these concepts in his work Blind Light. Entering the light cube, one immerses himself into a
space of vagueness and uncertainty, which immediately affect the way one behaves. While “architecture is supposed to be the location of security and certainty.. Blind Light undermines all of it.”15 Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist, is known for his “atmospheric” installations. For Eliasson, atmosphere, as an active agent, has mechanic properties, which cause it to be in constant motion and does not allow for a single state. The notion of change and motion is an inseparable part of his artistic agenda.
“Everything is situated within 15 Gormley, Antony. About Blind Light. http://www. antonygormley.com/projects/item-view/id/241#p0
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a process – everything is in motion. This not only applies to comprehensive systems... but also to our perception of a given space, here and now, and to our interaction with other people.”16 Eliasson uses sensorial tools in order to change our perception of space, such as fog, music, mirrors and materials. ‘Din Blinde Passager- your blind passenger’ is an installation created as a part of Utopia series, aimed to explore the “‘utopian potential inherent in an individual’s relation to the surrounding world”17. By using fog Eliasson creates a space that cannot be grasped by the visitor’s sense of sight. Walking through the tunnel, the visitor becomes a part of the work of art and with his sight compromised he behaves in a different manner. This experience encourages the visitor to rely on different senses in order to orient himself and to move through the space, which generate a new perception. Another project that challenges the human perception is the Blur Building. Designed by Diller and Scofidio + Renfro as a temporary pavilion hovering over Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, the project creates a unique experience of space by manipulating 16 Eliasson, Olafur, Daniel Birnbaum, Ina Blom, and Mark Wigley. Your engagement has consequences. Lars Muller Publishers, 2006. 17 Chin, Andrea. olafur eliasson: your blind passenger. https:// www.designboom.com/art/olafur-eliasson-your-blindpassenger/
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material, texture and light. The pavilion is constructed by a network of pipes, serving as structural elements used to move water throughout the structure. The water is emitted in a form of mist, generating a fog that covers the whole structure. Moving through the mist the visitors sight is weakened and other senses are being enhanced. This allows for different people to interpret the space in different ways. When the senses are affected in such a manner, different people will retain different feelings18. Tropos is designed to become part of the urban landscape, hovering above and engaging with humans. As an aerial system, Tropos is generating a new atmosphere, using space as a resource of operating, moving, reconfiguring and engaging. Different applications, using technological tools and advanced capabilities, are enabling Tropos to reat to environmental and urban conditions, emit light, sound and fog in response to its surroundings. Moreover, by operating in the public domain, those atmospherical spaces are embedded in the urban life, creating “islands” with no finite borders. People immerse themselves into an experience that allows them to think, react and behave in a different or a new way.
18 Benjamin, Andrew. Writing art and architecture. re. Press, 2010.
Fig 12 | ‘Din blinde passager’ (Your blind passenger)
Fig 13 | Blur Building
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02.3 ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS
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An adaptive system is one that is continuously evolving and changing its behaviour in response to the changes in its environment. The environment is also dynamic and is constructed by multiple systems operating in parallel, together they are the ecosystem in which the system is placed. The changing environment has a great impact on the behaviour of such system, both direct and indirect, which makes it a complex behaviour, i.e. nonlinear and impossible to accurately predict. Adaptive systems have a number of main characteristics, such as decentralized control, decision making based on interaction between the elements within the system, sensitivity to changes, emergent order, and also they never reach
equilibrium1. The evolution of the system is based on interrelation and interaction between its members, a real time decision making as a response to changes within the system and of the environment (internal and external forces) and its goal seeking drive. Adaptive behaviour is usually required for the purpose of achieving a goal or addressing a vital need, which base the origin of these systems in nature2. Two main examples to adaptive behaviour are growth patterns and learning. Growth patterns and form finding are ways in which an organism is evolving and structuring while avoiding obstacles, maximizing its necessary features (surface area for observing sunlight, 1 Chan, Serena. "Complex adaptive systems." In ESD. 83 research seminar in engineering systems, vol. 31, pp. 1-9. 2001. 2 Yaneer Bar-Yam, Concepts: Adaptive. https://necsi.edu/
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increase span with minimum of body weight, reaching food source etc.), and by using minimum energy.
“..natural systems automatically find comfortable arrangements, which are necessarily a result of the balance between specific forces and inherent spatial properties.”3 Learning is also a type of adaptive behaviour of a system. This behaviour has two levels of response, the system changes its behaviour as a response to the environment and also “learns” from 3 Edmondson, Amy C. A Fuller explanation: The synergetic geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. p.13
that experience and changes its future response as well. When the system tries to achieve a certain goal, the process of negotiating the environment in an attempt to adapt is involved with feedback loops, which describe the reciprocal relationship between the system and its environment and the mutual influence both have on one another. The environment does not serve as a background but ruther it plays an active role in shaping the behaviour of the system.
Swarm behaviour is a collective behaviour Fig 14 | Birds Flocking
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ROBOTIC SWARM of multi agent autonomous systems, characterized by fairly simple units exhibiting high level of intelligence by a sequence of interactions and local decision making. This behaviour can be found in biological organisms, such as ants, birds, fish, bees, and slime mold. Inspired by those biological systems the field of swarm robotics was developed, aiming for scalable systems that demonstrate intelligence in a higher order as a consequence of interaction between units and a response to their environment. Swarm intelligent systems are based on the following principles: _ Proximity - a local behaviour and response to changing parameters; _ Diverse response - exploration of various behavioural alternatives;
_ Quality - ability to respond to quality factors in the environment; _ Stability - balanced reaction; _ Adaptability - ability to react to environmental changes.4 In swarm robotics exchange of information is local based and the agents never have knowledge about the whole system, hence the decision making happens on the local scale. This kind of complexity gives ground to the emergent of a new behaviour or pattern, one that could not be predicted. Also, swarm behaviour is enabling a large group of agents to complete tasks and achieve goals in a relatively short time. 4 Schmickl, Thomas, Ronald Thenius, Christoph Moeslinger, Gerald Radspieler, Serge Kernbach, Marc Szymanski, and Karl Crailsheim. "Get in touch: cooperative decision making based on robot-to-robot collisions." Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems 18, no. 1 (2009): 133-155.
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Kilobots is a robotic system and algorithmic approach developed by researchers from Wyss Institute at Harvard University. The project aimed to create a robotic swarm that in a collaborative work is able to achieve collective goals. The robots were designed to explore the complex behaviour of a swarm, using low cost materials and a sensorial system. The robots can sense distance from their neighbors (up to 7 cm) and ambient light. They communicate through changing light colors, which represent different states5.
5 Introduction to Kilobot. https://www.k-team.com/mobilerobotics-products/kilobot
Fig 15 | Kilobots Swarm
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Fig 16 | Distributed Flight Array
"the whole being greater than the sum of its parts" a step further by enabling individual units to fly only when in cooperation with other agents. Each unit is equipped with a single propeller, but their individual flight is erratic and units cannot control or stabilize themselves. When connected, agents are able to exchange information in order to counteract the forces that were preventing them to stabilize as individuals and generate different propeller arrays allowing the units to have a controlled flight as a group.6
Franchise Freedom by Studio Drift was
Distributed Flight array takes the notion of
6 Disributed Flight Array. https://idsc.ethz.ch/researchdandrea/research-projects/archive/distributed-flight-array. html
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developed as an autonomous flying system of more than a houndred drones. Exhibited for the first time at Art Basel Miami 2017, the project aims to showcase individual freedom within an organized system. Intel drones are embedded with a ruleset based on the observation of sterlings behavior in flocks. This enables the drones to act as a group and create behavior that allows for complexity within the system. The result was an emotional performance that, with the use of light, enhanced the notion of life that was embedded into the system.7
7 Franchise Freedom. http://www.studiodrift.com/franchisefreedom
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Cybernetics is a discipline with a vast
Fig 17 | Franchise Freedom, December 2017, Miami - Photo: James Harris .
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Fig 18 | Grey Walter and his turtles.
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CYBERNETICS PRINCIPLES discourse, including machines, humans, interaction, control, learning and space. All of those come together to the study of communication and behavior. Cyberneticians invested their efforts in investigating the manner in which machines could interact with humans in a meaningful way. The machines that were researched were based on a study of organic life through generating computational models that embraced nonlinear systems, complexity, adaptation and reproduction. Those machines had a learning mechanism and exhibit adaptive behaviour, which can be compared to the process occurring in the human conscious brain. This brought a handful of scientists from a variety of fields to discuss the possibility of creating an
artificial brain. Important initial projects include John Von Neuman’s self-replicating machines, Grey Walter’s robotic tortoises, Ross Ashby’s Homeostat and Claude Shannon’s robotic mouse8. Gordon Pask, an English designer, scientist, researcher and academic, approached cybernetics as a study of interaction and control in human and non-human systems. Looking at humans and non-humans in a non-hierarchical way allowed transition between their features and characteristics and overlapping between their behaviors9. According to Pask, humans should become participant observers and interact with 8 Pickering, Andrew. The cybernetic brain: Sketches of another future. University of Chicago Press, 2010. p.343 9 Pickering, Andrew. The cybernetic brain: Sketches of another future. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
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the assemblage, and by that create changes in it. As a result, a new language of communication will be developed, which will be used in a new form of conversation.10
whereas as airborne based, the proximity and coordination between the agents are valuable means to generate an experience of space.
We believe that a great part of cybernetic essence is the speculation about the future while accepting the unknown. The learning mechanism will help Tropos to adapt to its environment and be able to react differently in various environmental conditions. The adaptive characteristics of Tropos will generate novelty which will translate into new landscape in the city.
In order to allow a large group of agents to perform and achieve goals Tropos is basing its technology and logic on the principles of cybernetics, which implies that the agents are responsive to their surroundings, including other human and non-human and external forces, and is in a constant process of learning and evolving.
While in the air, the connectivity between the agents is not physical and based on information flow, proximity and state signaling. The challenge of forming a space acquires an additional aspect in our system, 10 Pask, Gordon. "A comment, a case history and a plan." Cybernetics, art and ideas (1971)
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Fig 19 | The Colloquy of Mobiles, 1968
“Man is prone to seek novelty in his environment and, having found a novel situation, to learn how to control it.� Pask, Gordon. A comment, a case history and a plan. Cybernetics, art and ideas (1971)
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03 THE UNIT
03.1 UNIT ID
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GEOMETRICAL FEATURES During the research for transformable properties in geometrical forms, we decided to continue with the invertible cube as our base unit. Originally discovered by Paul Schatz, the invertible cube is constructed by 6 equal tetrahedral segments, connected in a closed ring by two groups of perpendicular rotational hinges(Fig 05). This configuration allows a continuous movement, turning in loops inside out, passing through different states. The notion of turning inside out is also known as inversion, a concept researched by Paul Schatz, whereas space is being turned completely, the inner part becomes the outer one and the orientation is being challenged. Schatz discovered the inversion
on a cube and later he applied this principle on every polyhedron. The invertible cube mechanism is based on Bennett linkage1, which is a deployable mechanism that allows a single unit to change its geometrical properties using constraint joints. It is the most reduced linkage structure that can perform a full continuous loop. While rotating, when the joint is flexed from its rest position, it stores energy and with the continuity of the movement, it releases it2. 1 You, Zhong, and Yan Chen. Motion structures: deployable structural assemblies of mechanisms. Crc Press, 2011. 2 Stability of n=6 Normal and Right-Angled Kaleidocycles Under the Influence of Energy Elements. http://jur.byu. edu/?p=15148
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Fig 01 | Paul Schatz and the Invertible Cube
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group B group A
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group A group B
2X group B
group A
BEHAVIOUR As a deployable mechanism, the unit is able to transform itself into different states, each has significant geometrical properties and physical shape in space. The transition between states is generated by kinematic movement called inversion, which was a part of Schatz discovery, characterized by looping and pulsing in space, in a process of acceleration and deceleration3.
SmartInversion, which uses helium to balance the structure in the air4.
The unit can generate directional movement in space only by its inversion loop, and it is happening in the transition between the two triangular states. This movement resembles the motion of jellyfish, pushing the water with its body. This mechanism has been explored by Festo in their project
The full cycle of the unit consists of a transition between different states, whereas the eight most significant are different variations of triangle, the hexagon and the cube. The differences between the states are also expressed in the angles of the hinges and the angular relation between the two groups of hinges. The maximum range of rotation of each hinge is 240 degrees, though the two groups of hinges do not rotate in a linear way, both in relation to themselves and to the opposite one. This relationship is representing the concept of inversion as type of motion.
3 Heinz, Alexander. "Development of mathematical imagination of 3-dimensional polyhedra throughout history and in-version phenomena." (2008).
4 FESTO, SmartInversion. In Innovation and Technology. https://www.festo.com/PDF_Flip/corp/Festo_SmartInversion/ en/files/assets/basic-html/page-3.html#
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* triangle
* cube
* triangle
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G RO U P A
S TAT E S
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G RO U P B
change in rotational direction
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change in rotational direction
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* hexagon
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change in rotational direction 300
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change in rotational direction 180
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03.2 INITIAL GEOMETRICAL EXPLORATIONS
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MULTIPLE UNITS TRANSFORMABILITY As an initial step in the geometrical explorations we test physical connections between units to observe the capabilities of multiple units together (body plans). The type of connection and the number of units connected were the main variables which determined the flexibility and the level of deformation from the rest position. Those tests led us to discover that while connected, the units transform in a uniform way, generating a transformable behaviour. Also, when more than two units are connected they cannot perform a full inversion and are limited to a specific range of states.
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03.3 TRANSFORMATION
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Transformation of the unit has been studied by a successive experimentation through protoypes. In order to achieve transformation we understood that the actuation should be driven by the rotation of the hinges. This made us focus on exploring different ways of using rotary motors, mainly the number and position within the hinge in relation to the rotation axis. Given the relationship between the angles is not linear, we decided to place one motor in each group of hinges, located in opposite sides of the unit to ensure balance. Also, to overcome the resistance of the geometry, we reduced the weight of the unit using lightweight materials and minimizing the size of the hinge.
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PROTOTYPE T02
PROTOTYPE T01 + T02
Motors positioned in all 6 hinges. Objective: allowing the unit with autonomous hinge rotation for ground mobility.
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PROTOTYPE T03 + T04
Hinge design evolution | shifting motor from rotation axis. Objective: hinge rotation design development for mobility.
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PROTOTYPE T05 Hinge design evolution | using gears for transferring the torque from the motor to the hinge. Bigger overlap of the elements in the rotation axis. As an attempt of generating a lightweight structure we used bamboo sticks for the skeleton, connecting by elastic hose.
3D printed costumized part
stepper motor
plastic gears
3D printed costumized part
Hinge design
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PROTOTYPE T06 Hinge design evolution | reducing the size of the overlapping parts to reduce weight and increasing accuracy of the gears mechanism. Improving the connectors between the structural parts.
bamboo sticks
plastic gears
stepper motor
3D printed costumized parts
Hinge design
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03.4 MOBILITY
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Fig 04 | SmartInversion, Festo
As a strategy for mobility, we first explored a possibility of using the transformable properties of the unit to generate movement. We took inspiration from Festo's experiment "SmartInversion", which contains the development of a prototype that explored propulsion generated by inversion. Festo generated an ultralight structure of the invertible cube made of carbon fibre, actuated by electric drive, exploring the geometry’s full cycle of inversion.1 Kinematics principles were expanded from rotation and translation into inversion. As a first approach to developing the unit’s mobility, we attempted to simulate the same conditions as to understand first hand how inversion could allow movement. 1 FESTO, SmartInversion. In Innovation and Technology.
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ROTATION MECHANISM stepper motors
HINGES costumized connectors
FRAMES carbon fivre tubing
MEMBRANE polythene filled with helium
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Although using the transformation of the geometrical properties for generating the movement, it is uncontrollable and limited to only one axis, whereas in the air there are 3 active axes of movement. Due to this reason, we shifted our research towards the use of propellers, focusing our study on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. A UAV, most commonly known as a Drone or Multirotor, is an aircraft that can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously through the implementation of software and flight plans2. UAVs are equipped with several elements: propellers, motors, a battery, a frame to hold everything together, and a flight system.3
capabilities into states: _ Take off | Lifting into the air until it reaches stability. _ Perform | Goal achieving. _ En route | Mirgation and distribution. _ Landing | Descending towards a charging/ resting position. _ Charging | Docking on rooftops
A Drone’s types of movements include lift, roll, pitch, and yaw. These types allow the unit to move in two perpendicular horizontal axes and one vertical axis in relationship to the multirotor’s position. In order to lift, the propellers generate a force called thrust, which needs to be greater than the overall weight of the unit. Once it becomes airborne, the drone can hover and exhibit the remaining three types of movements.4 Mobility in our system is manifested in autonomous flight, whereas each unit is an active member, able to make decisions in real-time with the aim of achieving various spatial and performative goals. In order to understand the behaviour of the units we categorized the different mobility
Hexacopter Flight Control in relate to individual propellers speed High Speed
2 Rouse, Margaret. Drone (UAV). In TechTarget. 3 Johnson-Lairis, Niels. Basic Physics of Drones. 4 Ibid.
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Normal Speed
Throttle
down
Pitch
up
backwards
Uplift and downfall movements
Rotation around X axis
Roll
Yaw
right
forward
left
Rotation around Y axis
Rotation around Y axis
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Alongside the geometrical attributes of the unit, the strategic positioning of the propellers allowed for six of them to be incorporated into it, one per tetrahedron (or limb). This specific array is commonly known as a hexacopter. The basic aerial control system we have implemented enabling the unit real-time reaction to the environment’s influence.5 A quadcopter is the most common drone array since it provides all the necessary elements to develop air mobility. However, in addition to the geometrical fit, we chose to use a hexacopter model due to its stability and ability to stand high velocity wind currents and carry heavier load. Also, a quadcopter is fully dependent on all four propellors, while a hexacopter can stand the loss of a propeller and still operate and land
5 Yuneec, Hexacopter and its advantages. In Camera Drones.
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safely.6 We are using Multiwii, which is an open source software that allows for the control of several types of Multicopters. It was originally developed for controlling gyroscopes and accelerometers in the Nintendo Wii remote control but was then adapted into a multirotors flight system7. The MPU6050 is a single chip that incorporates both, a three-axis accelerometer and three axis gyroscope. By adding this chip to the flight control system, the unit can handle environmental influence and keep its position.8 The unit is then generated by implementing the Arduino open source electronics platform, thus having all the necessary elements for achieving flight.9 6 Ibid. 7 Digital Nature, MultiWii, In Fusion. 8 How to Mechatronics, DIY Gimbal | Arduino and MPU6050 Tutorial. 9 Arduino, Introduction, Section 1.
PROTOTYPE F01 First attempt of implementing UAV strategy. Objective: testing of material weights vs. propellers lift plus flight configurations of the propellers.
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PROTOTYPE F02
Implementation of hexacopter configuration in the unit's geometry. Objective: achieving lift and controlled movement.
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FLIGHT ATTEMPTS
FA_01
Some challenges we encountered were achieving remote control, balanced lift, and control the direction of the movement.
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HYBRID The next step in the development of mobility strategy was the idea of using the advantages of each model, both helium based and UAV configuration, and implementing them in a hybrid version. In this approach, the lift can be achieved by the use of helium with minimal actuation of the motors, which will be used mostly for navigation and positioning control. The base unit has now the ability to expand its frame into double of its size, and to inflate membranes with a volume of four times the original unit, achieving a great volume of helium while still able to complete a full loop. The reduced state has the least amount of surface area and therefore is used in migration mode, granting the units with
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greater level of control and reducing the resistance to wind forces. While approaching a target and lowering altitude, the helium replaces the propellers and maintain the unit's buoyancy, allowing it to hover and transform. In terms of actuation and energy supply, the use of helium contributes to the reduction in energy consumption. Moreover, the motors are capable of producing power, allowing them to charge a second power supply, which is able to store energy.
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suitable motors and propellers
costumized connectors and support
skeleton constructed of solid planes
minimalist integral hinges
adjustables pistons
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weight material
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120g 120kg
125.56g metal 3mm
weight torque
420g 1.6kg
weight 125.56g material bamboo 5mm
weight torque
280g 1.6kg
weight 206.66g material bamboo 5mm
weight
weight material
120g
230.00g PLA
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weight
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1300g
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weight 268.92g material carbon fiber 5mm
lift
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310g
weight material
556.33g bamboo 5mm
weight
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600g
weight 386.4g material carbon fiber 4mm
lift
1.32kg
weight torque
1412g 19.4kg
weight 5040g material carbon fiber 4mm
helium lift
1.32kg
motor lift
36.00kg
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04 POPULATION COMMUNICATION
04.1 ORGANIZATIONAL RULES
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As a population based system, self organization that is manifested by a collective behaviour is based on localized decisions, derived from local interaction and communication. In our system, whereas no physical connection is established between the active members, the way in which information is being exchanged shapes the relationship between members, affecting the formation and the chosen goal.
The decision making process is based on a behavioural rule set, determined by us, which is at first set out to achieve grouping of units, which we call 'clusters'. When forming a cluster, a hierarchical relationship between units is established, ending up with one 'initiator' and different levels of followers, whereas the structure is determined by the current initiator, that serves as a temporary leader, ensuring cooperation between units.
As for communication within the population, we started by enabling each unit to get access to real time information regarding its local neighborhood which is defined by its limited area of awareness. By using the information perceived, the unit is able to make decisions and cooperate with other units.
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awareness area
Information Exchange Logic Each unit has a limited awareness area, and is able to make decisions according to local conditions without perceiving the global formation. Units are able to exchange information regarding their position and direction and their current goal. Information can be passed through units that are linked by proximity, whereas in certain number they form a cluster.
position current task flight direction
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Each cluster has an initiator which performs as a momentary leader. According to the goal, the structure of the cluster can be varied in the number of followers for each unit. This affects both the information transfer within the cluster and its configuration while migrating, enabling it to adjust to different environments.
Cluster Structure The structure of the cluster is defined by the goal and is referring to the number of followers each unit can have and the maximum level of followers, which is the hierarchical distance from the initiator.
no limitation on following numbers
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maximun 2 followers
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04.2 LOCAL BEHAVIOUR
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Signal Negotiation Through signaling within the cluster, the units are able to communicate and determine the current initiator. The initiator is being chosen according to the distance from the detected target, and when the position or the relevance of the target is changed, the initiator can be replaced based on real time decision making, ensuring that the goal will be achieved.
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Converge and Seperate As part of the units' tendency to collaborate, clusters have the capability to converge. This scenario can take place when a member from either clusters recognize within its local awareness unit from a different cluster, though sharing the same target. When converging, the clusters operate as one and the unit within the united cluster which is closest to the target will become the current leader. A single cluster also capable of separating into two or more when more than one target is being detected, provided that the new setup has a sufficient number of units and allow it to perform its desired goal.
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Seperation of a Cluster
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Alignment and Synchronization The structure of the cluster determines the way in which information is being spread within it. This also influences the coordination and cooperation between units, enabling them to align and adjust their behaviour according to their local neighborhood. Sequence of transformation is synchronized in different duration according to the structure.
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Local decision within the cluster are part of the formation process of the system. For example, units can change their proximity value according to local conditions, such as number of neighbors. This results in a variety of relationships within one setup, such as different densities.
neighbor count
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04.3 SPATIAL CONFIGURATION
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The configuration is a realization of the type of relationships between the units, determined by the mode of the cluster. Each configuration is initiated by the current leader, whereas it serves a point of reference, and spread throughout the cluster. Units can form a lattice-like formation, allowing them to move on z axis in a cooperated way, while keeping a certain proximity. They can also form a volumetric configuration, generating higher density. Exhibited are a few possible configurations:
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initiator
CONVEX | initiator takes the lowest position within the cluster
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CONCAVE | initiator takes the highest position within the cluster
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COSINE | initiator takes the zero position and the value of z axis changes according to the distance from the initiator
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LAYERED | initiator limits the radius of the volume, allowing growth in z axis
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05 UNIT-HUMAN COMMUNICATION
05.1 BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS
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In terms of communication between units and human, the units are capable of recognizing patterns in human behavior and based on that make decisions regarding their current goal. The ability to differentiate between patterns is based on the input variables, such as velocity, density and duration, whereas the combination between them with the current position of the units and the environmental input is enabling them to choose the level of interaction and make decisions accordingly. When scanning the surroundings, units are categorizing their environment and searching for a potential for engagement. Some patterns will generate a more active response and some will be only communicated within the cluster.
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size
novelty
duration
collectivity
density
location
weather
time
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Human Pattern Recognition We simulated human behaviour as a crowd in order to observe the different patterns occurring by isolating some of the inputs. In operational mode, high densities are becoming reference targets for the system, whereas in cases of low velocity the units have the ability to generate novelty within the system and initiate new patterns of behaviour to encourage engagement and interaction.
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Size & Density
Velocity & Directionality
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05.2 SPATIAL DEPLOYMENT
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The level of interaction with humans is defined by the goal, which is an integration between the external information perceived by the cluster and the internal information regarding the cluster size and level of energy. When more than one human group is detected by units from the same cluster, they are perceived by the cluster as one and the behaviour of the cluster is influenced by multiple sources of information, which might generate different relationships within a single cluster in order to respond to the change. When the system mode is reactive to changes in human state as a group, the configuration is changing based on time and motion, reacting to local patterns, generating choreography by transitions and transformation.
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05.3 ILLUMINATION STRATEGY
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Illumination is used in the system as a strategy for daytime and nighttime operation, whereas light serves as a tool for communication and interaction. As a part of our study, we speculated about offering an alternative to current illumination strategy in the city. We studied the existing lighting strategy in order to integrate the key principles in our system. The city’s lighting strategy is designed to respond to issues such as safety, accessibility, culture, urban planning and sustainability. In order to address those issues, different tools was developed to categorizing and characterizing areas in the city and provide a suitable solution for illumination for each.
the autonomous nature of the system, the illumination mode is localized and respond to the changing environment, while maintaining the fundamental principles related to human perception and experience. The variables for change are altitude, intensity, light color and temperature, and consistency.
We are proposing an agile and adaptive methodology of characterizing areas based on real time information, and by
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change in light intensity as a result of density
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change in light color temperature according to the altitude
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For generating stability and consistency, active illumination is actuated in number of units within the cluster, enabling circulation between units and maintaining a certain average of energy within the cluster, allowing it to perform at the necessary duration. The angle and intensity are determined in relation to numbers and altitude.
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06 URBAN DEPLOYMENT
06.1 MIGRATION STRATEGY
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As a migratory system, units are able to process the direction of flight in both global and local scale. The global navigation route is determined by the target location, while the local is being calculated in real time and is affected by dynamic objects detected locally by sensors, including other units. According to local information units are constantly updating their path, avoiding collision with surrounding obstacles. When navigating to the same target, by using local pathfinding, units can negotiate path and avoid congestion, allowing them to arrive to their destination.
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multiple unit migrating 180
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06.2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
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Having no grip on the ground, the units are highly influenced by the forces of wind currents, therefore are strongly dependent on the population collaboration to maintain a certain path. While migrating, population of units are using the wind currents as assisting force, and modify their trajectory accordingly. Clusters are aiming for reducing energy consumption and reaching the desired destination simultaneously, which results in alternation of positions within the flock. When sharing the same goal, clusters are converging in order to increase the migration speed and reduce global resistance force. When the flock is bigger, the energy consumption level is more balanced, allowing the units to use the direction of the wind currents to travel.
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wind force field simulation
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individual energy consumption
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06.3 URBAN LIFECYCLE
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When implemented in the city, the system becomes a part of the urban landscape, interacting and influencing the dynamics of familiar spaces.
flexibility when orienting toward their desired goal. As a swarm, the units alternate between passive and active state according to their position within the cluster.
During nighttime, units are scattered around the urban fabric, whereas denser concentrations are directed toward open public spaces and main junctions, with the aim of using the illumination capability to enable public activity during extended hours, and to enhance the urban atmosphere. Agent based strategy is allowing the units to make decisions according to local conditions, resulting in a reactive and adaptive lighting system, able to generate different densities, creating constantly changing atmospheres, enriching the spatial experience.
Illumination also serves as a tool for signaling and interaction between units and the human participants, whereas in denser and more vibrant concentrations, the type of illumination can encourage motion, while also serve as a reference for an urban function, such as a train station. The units operate in collaboration to generate gradual transitions between different areas of the city, which also contribute to the sense of orientation of the inhabitants.
Navigating throughout the city, the units are capable of reaching high altitude to increase
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Interaction in a scale of individual unit and human can be established due to the unit’s ability to learn from human’s behaviour pattern. When a certain behavior is recognized, the unit can split from the cluster and engage with a single human. Regarding illumination, the unit can detect the lighting conditions and decide to follow and illuminate the way.
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Throughout the lifecycle, when no particular goal is being detected, units are able to use their structural features to ascend to higher altitudes, above the active height, and to form a passive swarm, capable also of charging and increasing the level of energy of the cluster. The passive swarm is becoming larger hence more resilient to environmental forces.
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When the altitude of the swarm is lower, the units use multiscale pathfinding strategy to navigate between buildings and avoid obstacles. For charging and repairing units can descend and occupy rooftops in a passive state, while remaining interlinked and able to communicate with their neighbours and exchange the energy level to decide on taking off to the next target.
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When speculating on the future of culture, we believe that technology is an inseparable part of culture, thus it should serve as a tool for enabling accessibility and as a medium for generating a new kind of interactions and relationships. Therefore we feel that by occupying the air with an adaptive machinic ecology, influencing and being influenced by the constant changing conditions, we can start to speculate on rich information environments and extended use of the public space, which will enrich our urban life, in terms of both interaction and spatial experience.
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07 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Airborne infrastructure 1. Freudenrich, Craig. “How Air Traffic Control Works”. Accessed September 7, 2019. https://science.howstuffworks.com/ transport/flight/modern/air-traffic-control4. htm 2. Nats Company website, Introduction to Airspace. https://www.nats.aero/ae-home/ introduction-to-airspace/ 3. Huang, Chenxi, Yisha Lan, Yuchen Liu, Wen Zhou, Hongbin Pei, Longzhi Yang, Yongqiang Cheng, Yongtao Hao, and Yonghong Peng. "A new dynamic path planning approach for unmanned aerial vehicles." Complexity 2018 (2018). 4. Jun, Myungsoo, and Raffaello D’Andrea. "Path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles in uncertain and adversarial environments." In Cooperative control: models, applications and algorithms, pp. 95-110. Springer, Boston, MA, 2003. 5. The Public Domain Review, “Alexander Graham Bell’s Tetrahedral Kites (1903–9)”. Accessed September 8, 2019. https:// publicdomainreview.org/collections/ alexandergraham-bells-tetrahedral-kites-1903-9/. 6. Bell, Alexander Graham. The tetrahedral principle in kite structure. Judd & Detweiler, 1903.https://structuresvolantes.files. wordpress.com/2018/11/nationalgeography-june-1903.pdf 7. Aerohistory. “Alexander Graham-Bell:
His Years for Kites 1891 - 1909”. Accessed September 8, 2019. http://www.aerohistory. org/Bell/kite.html. 8. Wachsmann, Konrad. The Art of Joining. Pidgeon Digital. https://www.pidgeondigital. com/talks/the-art-of-joining/chapters/ 9. Pawley, Martin. “Konrad Wachsmann: the greatest architect of the twentieth century”. Architect’s Journal. Accessed September 8, 2019. https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/ home/konrad-wachsmann-thegreatest-architect-of-the-twentiethcentury/775551.article. 10. Marianne Burkhalter, Christian Sumi. “Konrad Wachsmann and the Grapevine Structure”. Zurich: Park Books, 2018. 11. William J Mitchell - e-Topia: The Design of Digital Cities, 22 May, 2015. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WtXoEMEC1-A. 12. Guy, Simon, Simon Marvin, and Will Medd, eds. Shaping urban infrastructures: intermediaries and the governance of sociotechnical networks. Routledge, 2011. 13. Mitchell, William J. e-topia: Urban life, Jim—but not as we know it. MIT press, 1999. Concepts of atmosphere 1. Böhme, G., Elíasson, Ó. and Pallasmaa, J., 2014. Architectural atmospheres: On the experience and politics of architecture. Walter de Gruyter.
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