Mini-robots "Minibuilder" can build buildings by 3D printing

Minibuilder robots use 3D printing to build buildings

Although the advent of 3D printing has created many new possibilities in the design world, the basic requirement for 3D printers to be larger than the object they print is a major obstacle to building large objects, especially in architecture. However, an innovative project called Minibuilders will be able to bypass this limitation and literally revolutionize the construction industry.

Minibuilder robots use 3D printing to build buildings



Developed by researchers from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), the Minibuilders project consists of three tiny robots that work together to build giant structures that are much larger than their tiny size.

The three Minibuilders robots are programmed to perform different functions during three separate stages of the construction process: laying the foundation, building walls and ceilings, and “fortifying the building.”



Minibuilder robots use 3D printing to build buildings



First, the robot, which is designed to lay the foundation, 3D printing lays the foundation of the building, following a pre-programmed route. At the same time, the robot is constantly checked with the readings of the sensors in order not to deviate from the necessary parameters of the building. After the foundation is laid, the next robot enters the case, which is responsible for the very “box” of the building. He puts the mounts on the foundation layer and starts building the building up, 3D-printed walls and ceilings, and window and doorways. Finally, the vacuum robot completes the work and strengthens the newly built housing with additional layers of coating.



Minibuilder robots use 3D printing to build buildings



While three different types of robots are not usually designed to work simultaneously, mobile robots developed by the Catalans can work simultaneously to speed up the construction process. In other words, new minirobots can build walls and ceilings at the same time. IAAC researchers have already printed a 1:01 scale prototype of the building using Minibuilders for an exhibition at the Design Museum in Barcelona.

Source: www.ecobyt.ru/