AR Technology transforms Topology optimization in Structural Design

Wearing an AR headset, Associate Professor Alejandro M. Aragón shows how easy and intuitive it is to use the app. With some simple hand movements, the bridge design materializes in augmented reality, and he is able to walk around it and explore it from all sides. The concept of the app struck him when he went to an optimisation conference in 2023, where he heard about the new AR glasses.

Aragón's research is aimed at discovering optimized designs for a broad variety of (meta)materials and structures. One of the main tools in his research is topology optimisation, an iterative algorithm employed to optimise the shape or geometry of an object given a target functionality and certain constraints. This might involve, for example, reducing material consumption or reducing the risk of fracture, depending on the design requirements.

Although it holds promise, topology optimisation remains far from universal. Other complications, such as manufacturability or the inclusion of subjective factors like aesthetics, further complicate the process. New technologies such as AR and VR, Aragón believes, hold the key. 

Together with his previous MSc student Hendrik Jaap Algra, they created ARCADE: Augmented Reality Computational Analysis and Design Environment. ARCADE is an Apple Vision Pro app tailored specifically for "immersed topology optimisation." The design parameters, including the size of the computational domain and boundary conditions (supports and loads), can be controlled by hand gestures. While capable of implementing any kind of boundary conditions, the app includes ones for optimizing a cantilever beam and a bridge – both standard test cases in mechanical engineering. The app then works out an optimized design in real time, instantly visualized within the AR world.The ultimate goal is not merely to present a real design (based on physics), but also to improve the integration of human creativity into the design process.

As per Aragón, the integration of AR and topology optimisation can revolutionise design processes in the future. He will introduce ARCADE at the forthcoming World Congress of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimisation later this year. The app will also be launched in the Apple Store for visonOS