AADRL noMad. Architectural System of Behavioral Assembly

noMad. Architectural Behaviourial Modular System. AADRL

noMad project designed in AA DRL by Dmytro Aranchii, Paul Bart, Flavia Santos and Yuqiu Jiang during 16 month research 2013-2015. Work is based on modular robotic ideology and seeks for its appliance in architecture. noMad is the architectural behavioral assembly system that has attributes of autonomy, mobility, ability to communicate and make decisions. This research is not about one finite result but rather uncountable amount of variations, about approach how to create any space and adopt it to changing conditions without influence from outside and control by human.

DATE: 2013-2015
PROGRAM: March thesis
THEME: Architectural Behaviourial Modular System
UNIVERSITY: AADRL [Architectural Association, Design Research Laboratory], London, UK

TEAM: Dmytro Aranchii [Ukraine], Paul Bart [Germany], Yuqiu Jiang [China], Flavia Santos [Brazil]
TUTOR: Mostafa El Sayed
STUDIO: Theodore Spyropoulos Studio

noMad system is a set of equal elements that are able to transform, move, recognize neighbors and attach to other same modules. Being granted with trivial AI, eventually modules form large connected populations where emergent attributes and swarm intelligence appear, which is significantly higher intelligence level than just a sum of all the individual parts.

Watch also preparation stage to the noMad project, Game of Life: Cellular Automata. AADRL Workshop

Project’s authors visited leading world labs [in Cornell University, MIT] focused on modular robotics design aiming to understand new researches and their structure, and to apply existed scientific developments more reasonably and purposefully.

Nevetheles, the noMad project geometry has not yet been used by modular robotics scientists. Distinguishing feature is a transformation of the module from octahedron to icosahedron and cuboctahedron and then all the sequence back. This movement, translation of neighboring modules with simultaneous rotation, provides certain uniqueness and charm to the system.

Watch also preparation stage to the noMad project, AADRL Material Workshop. Volume. Computing without computers

It has to be admitted that the proportion of active (transforming) and passive (transported) modules is about 1/4 .. 1/3. Thus there is 20-33 per cent of actives in the system that allows its complete functioning, resource and energy saving used for manufacturing and functioning of transforming elements.

Video of final AA DRL noMad presentation

Creatures that consist of dozens of modules are walking to the megastructure to become its part

Adaptive megastructure in creation of which thousands of similar characteristic modules take part in

Large population of architectural modular behavioral system [approximately 50 000 units]

Height of one module is around 15 cm. Average woman is 11 modules height; man is 12

Prototypes that has mobility attributes as well as autonomy and communication with other similar items. Due to the modules combining a level of intelligence is rising up through the communication

Large population of modules is dependent on day cycle, i.e. it creates protective canopy from a sunlight in hot summer day

Within research process the generative intelligence of a geometric structure was coded, which is controlled by parameters of stiffness and stability, and is able to adaptively create basic architectural/building elements as columns, slabs, bridge like arches, vaults, etc.