Reconfigurable canopy uses drones to move its modules around (Video)

This example of programmable architecture uses lightweight materials and drones to help it adapt to environmental changes. Digital fabrication and automation is changing the way we build, allowing for cutting-edge concepts to take form through computer-aided design tools and integrating robotics into building techniques. Three graduate students over at University of Stuttgart's Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) recently unveiled a modular architectural canopy that can be reconfigured in real-time, using drones. Dubbed Cyber Physical Macro Material, the 2.5-metre (8.2-foot) high canopy is designed as a "new dynamic (and intelligent) agile architecture for public spaces," which can respond to weather conditions. Built with lightweight carbon fibre filament, magnets and a variety of sensors and processors, the canopy demonstrates the possibility of'live' construction processes, facilitated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).