Workshop Instructor - CAADRIA 2026 Workshop A04: Sequenced Robotic Toolpaths

Sequenced Robotic Tool Paths: 3D Scanning and Bio-Printing on Organic Topology — Workshop A04, CAADRIA 2026.

Co-instructors: Celso Urroz (Florida Atlantic University), Heidy Sekardini (Universitas Indonesia), Hangchuan Wei (University College London).

Participants: Ka-Chun Chan, Supriya Dhamale, Sheu Wen Leong, Nora Merten, Yiwei Wang, Man Kit Or (Assistant).

Workshop discussion with bio-printed prototypes on organic substrates, alongside the KUKA robotic platform.

This workshop explored a sequential, semi-automated design-to-fabrication workflow in which computation operated as an active mediator between human intent, material intelligence, and robotic execution. The workshop introduced the scanning of irregular natural objects, generation of agential geometry in Houdini VFX, and bio-material printing with a custom dual-nozzle extruder.

A custom end-effector integrating a dual-nozzle extruder and a RealSense camera enabled a closed-loop pipeline from capture to deposition. Point clouds were spatially registered through live robot kinematic data without external calibration and converted into a mesh; computational forms were developed with an environmentally driven process in Houdini, where non-planar toolpaths were generated and assigned analog commands controlling non-linear material mixture. Sequential programs were executed through real-time robot state feedback using KUKA PRC, allowing automated program chaining and runtime monitoring throughout the process.

The results demonstrated how organic matter can function not as a neutral base but as an active geometric input; environmental information can be integrated with robotic fabrication and produce geometries with gradient materiality — positioning computation as a co-design field between designer agency, immateriality, and environmental information.

Workshop poster — closed-loop scanning, agential geometry generation, and bio-material printing on organic topology.