Alexander Htet Kyaw


Alexander is a researcher working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, robotics, design, and fabrication. He is developing AI systems that enable natural interactions between humans, machines, and the world around them. Alexander's research contributions have been published in Automation in Construction, Architectural Intelligence, the International Conference on Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication, Education and Research in Computer-Aided Architectural Design in Europe, and the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture.

Currently, he is a graduate student at MIT in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and the Department of Architecture. At MIT, Alexander works with the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and the Media Lab. He completed his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University, where he received a minor in Computer Information Science. At Cornell University, Alexander held research positions in the Robotic Construction Lab. His professional experience includes roles at Autodesk Research, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Jenny Sabin Studio, BRIC Architecture, and Proximity Design.

Alexander's design and research have garnered recognition from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Museum of Craft and Design, the Land Art Generator Initiative, Google, Amazon Robotics, and the United Nations. Before pursuing his Bachelor's degree in the United States, Alexander was raised in Yangon, Myanmar. He is currently a Steve Jobs Archive Fellow and a co-founder of BendShelters, a social enterprise building easily deployable modular bamboo shelters for refugees in Myanmar.


Recent Publications 

A. H. Kyaw, S. Jeon, M. Smith, N. Gershenfeld “Speech to Reality: On-Demand Production using Natural Language, 3D Generative AI, and Discrete Robotic Assembly”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.18390, 2024 (Under Review: IEEE International Conference for Robotics and Automation ICRA 2025)

A. H. Kyaw, L. Spencer, and L. Lok “Human–machine Collaboration using Gesture Recognition in Mixed Reality and Robotic Fabrication,” Architectural Intelligence, vol 3, March, 2024
A. H. Kyaw, L. Spencer, S. Zivkovic, and L. Lok “Gestural Recognition for Feedback-Based Mixed Reality Fabrication a Case Study of the UnLog Tower,” in the Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication (CDRF), January 2024

L. Spencer, A. H. Kyaw, S. Zivkovic, and L. Lok “Extended Reality (XR) Workflows for Multi-Material Assemblies" in the Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference of the Association of Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), October 2023 (Best Paper Award)

 




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