From The Architects Newspaper:
Two Brooklyn-based construction entrepreneurs, Ian Cohen and Daniel Blank, began their business with a simple observation: steel rebar, used in concrete construction throughout the world, isn’t always easy to work with. They pivoted their URBAN-X accelerated startup, Toggle, which they founded two-and-a-half years ago with a focus on renewable energy, to making the production of reinforced concrete faster and safer through automation.
Using customized industrial robots, Toggle made modifications that allow the automated arms to “achieve bespoke movements.” The design-to-build process is also streamlined, with custom software that takes a design file, evaluates types of cages needed, then derives a build sequence, and goes straight into digital fabrication.
The robot is currently being put to work, fabricating rebar for projects in New York City and the surrounding area. Part of the plan is to develop a system that works something like vertical farming, Cohen explained, where production happens close to where there is need, minimizing the logistical demands and long-distance transportation
