For decades, robots have been used on assembly lines to do things like make cars and package food. Over a long period of refinement, the iconic robot arm has become a nearly commoditized piece of hardware. You can buy them, and essentially plug then play. Their generalized capabilities make them very flexible in terms of application.

Brell-Cokcan and Braumann are co-founders of the Association for Robots in Architecture and organizers of the Rob|Arch 2012 conference, being held in Vienna on Dec. 17 and 18. Over this past weekend they ran a series of workshops in Vienna, Graz, Zürich, Rotterdam, and Stuttgart to expose architects and designers to the possibilities of utilizing this technology. “We try create a platform that shows the innovative uses of robotic fabrication in the creative industry, and brings together members of industry and academia, as well as architects, artists, and designers,” says Braumann.