Dr. Zhao MA is a designer, engineer, and computer scientist based in Zurich, Switzerland. He is currently a lecturer and research associate at ETH Zurich, where he teaches computational methods for design education, and researches computing applications for living systems, robotic fabrication, and geometry processing.
Zhao received a Master of Architecture degree and a Master of Engineering (Structural) degree from MIT in 2017. He obtained his doctorate in 2021 at ETH Zurich, conducting multi-disciplinary research across the architecture and computer graphics fields. His featured doctorate work “Stylized Robotic Sculpting” developed a novel design and fabrication system for carving clay sculptures with robots. The research was shared by Gramazio Kohler Research (ETHZ), Computational Robotics Lab (ETHZ), and Disney Research Zurich.
Believing that modern computational research is impacting beyond current disciplinary structures, Zhao seeks to bridge the fields of design, science and engineering with computing and foster such research through cross-disciplinary collaborations. His work has featured in various awards and patents across disciplines, including architecture, landscape, and computational design.
Doctor of Science, 2021
ETH Zürich
Master of Engineering in High Performance Structure, 2017
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Architecture, 2017
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BSc in Advanced Engineering, 2012
Beihang University
This paper presents an interactive design system that allows the user to create and fabricate stylized sculptures in water-based clay, using a standard 6-axis robot arm.
This paper present a computational technique that aids with the design of structurally‐sound metal frames, tailored for robotic fabrication using an existing process that integrate automated bar bending, welding, and cutting.
Four cellular-based material structure units composed of rigid plates and elastic/rotary hinges was developed based on the geometrical and numerical description of the units. Using these base structures, higher level transformations for product design was achieved through a customised simulation tool for interactive design process. Three application prototypes was presented as possible applications of our proposed structures.