ATTEMPT TO PROCESS THINNED WOOD INTO HIGH-VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT WITH CHARACTERISTIC DATABASE: Study on robotic fabrication for effective use of thinned wood

There is a problem that thinned woods are overly small diameter and un-uniform shape to saw up into lumbers as building elements. This research attempts to solve this problem by developing thinned woods processing system that consists of a thinned wood management database and robotic fabrication. In the database, thinned woods are managed as features based on photogrammetry. Appropriate materials are suggested when intended shapes are input into an inquiry function. In the robotic fabrication, a lathe-like work bench synchronously rotates the material with the robot’s movement. Validation by building log walls shows that variational shapes of thinned woods can be processed efficiently.