VIRTUAL Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
Robots are our students’ partners in the future. Robotic explorations are opportunities that teach young designers about new content creation and fabrication. Designing with a robot opens the door to the future of craft and design and helps prepare students for their future work. Whereas not all design schools have access to a robot, many design graduates will encounter a “colleague” that is a robot at the office. For faculty to teach robotics, we must develop our own robotic skills and research trajectory, to bring our students along. This paper stems from a research-based, faculty-led robotic design workshop for “painting” using three advanced technologies: 1) a programmable, full-spectrum LED light, 2) a 6-axis, tabletop UR5e robot and 3) Grasshopper plugin for Rhinoceros 3D software. The paper first discusses an accelerated process for faculty development and research, to enable robotic skills for students. Second, the paper reveals how student success benefits from some hand-based analog methods, to create a human-machine connection for the students while they learn. Lastly, the combination of analog elements with the digital tools brought unexpected, beautiful effects in the robotic outcomes. The student outcomes of this robotic workshop were exhibited in Mr. Roboto at the Museum of Craft & Design in San Francisco, CA in 2024. Faculty research and student skills with new robotic technology can advance together to expand design craft. For faculty new to robotic research, as we learn and develop technically, we can humanize robotic learning for our students and encourage these collaborators for their future.
Eleanor Pries is Assistant Professor of Design at SJSU. She has a BA in VES from Harvard, MA in Architectural History from UVA, and MArch from University of California, Berkeley. She received a Sheldon Prize for urban design and Branner Prize for research on water architectures. Pries has practiced over 15 years at The Cecil Group / Harriman, SMWM / Perkins & Will, and SiteLab Urban Studio, and her small firm Giant Order. At SJSU, Pries teaches architecture, lighting design, and thesis in the professional program, aligning with her research with digital technology and sustainable materials.