2020 UTK Undergraduate Research

This summer, Nicholas Van Son was awarded the Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (SURI) fund for his research in “Robotically Fabricated Performance Panels for Construction Automation”.

Sponsored by factulty mentor Maged Guerguis, Van Son outlined the possible improvements in the construction automation industry using 21st Century technology. With Soft Boundaries Lab’s history in projects like AMIE 1.0 in combination with resources such as UTK’s Fab Lab and the previously awarded Autodesk Residency, Van Son’s research hopes to culminate in multiple prototypes representing the possible integrations of additive manufacturing (AM) (3D printing), structural optimization, prefabrication, and construction automation.

Van Son’s interest in modern housing solutions only grows from previous projects done with Maged Guerguis and Soft Boundaries Lab. Some of the issues explored previously include the rapid development of housing prototypes and self-sustainable community planning as solutions to the current trend of inefficient, wasteful, and repetitive construction.

Although schedule complications have arrised to do Covid-19, Van Son continues to work on his research as well as other side projects including the 3DPC U-Shield.

If you are interested in Van Son’s previous research in modern housing solutions, you can see his studio work here.