EdEarl Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 innovation.uk.msn.com The University of Southern California is testing a giant 3D printer that could be used to build a whole house in under 24 hours. Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis has designed the giant robot that replaces construction workers with a nozzle on a gantry, this squirts out concrete and can quickly build a home according to a computer pattern. It is “basically scaling up 3D printing to the scale of building,” says Khoshnevis. The technology, known as Contour Crafting, could revolutionise the construction industry. Does this innovation spell the end of a big segment of the construction industry? Another robot can lay bricks. There will still be a need for electricians, plumbers, glaziers, etc. to do some work, but I'd expect even those jobs will be done by robots soon. How long until a house is made like a printed circuit board, traces of metal and plastic for electronics, plumbing, and air conditioning all done by machine. Fixtures for the electrical, plumbing and air conditioning just plug into the wall with color codes and plug shapes making it impossible to make a mistake; finishing tasks anyone can do. Vehicles that drive themselves will put taxi drivers out of work, and people that drive trash trucks, snow blowers, road equipment, etc. Farm equipment can now pick strawberries and other delicate fruit. Automated tellers eliminate lines and workers; stocking machines will soon be possible. Robots are being made to clean up the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which is an extremely complex job. These advancements will make robots capable of doing many jobs now reserved for people. How long can capitalism survive with no common laborers making money to buy things. "The times they are a-changing," Bob Dylan seems to have been a profit as well as a song writer. Not only does the human race face 4C climate change this century, also economic upheaval. Will political systems survive? My children, and some of us will live in interesting times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rajnish Kaushik Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 My children, and some of us will live in interesting times. in then i will be the one too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) Although not a 3D printer, another house building robot technology is being developed, tiny brick laying robots. ScientificAmerican.comThe robots all work independently. Each travels along a grid and can move, climb a step and lift and put down bricks. And they use sensors to detect other robots and existing bricks, and react to these stimuli according to a simple set of rules, such as when to lay a brick or climb a step higher. The template for each three-dimensional structure is translated into a specific set of 'traffic rules' and combined with fixed laws of robot behavior, says co-author Justin Werfel, a computer scientist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His team's results appear today in Science. http://api.news.com.au/content/1.0/foxsports/images/1226798960176?format=jpg I wonder if both techniques will be used, or if one will win out over the other? The 3D printer seems well suited for large buildings and neighborhood development, and the smaller robots for custom built one-of-a-kind houses. Edited February 14, 2014 by EdEarl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Externet Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I would prefer gigantic blowmolding or rotomoulding to make ~cubic rooms and attach many at the construction site. Lots of boring time between time stamps 1:00 to 4:00, bypass them----> And ----> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 You mean something like container homes and buildings? https://www.google.com/search?q=container+homes&num=50&client=firefox-a&hs=5Ro&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1aX-UsD0FImD2gW5goCQAw&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=544&dpr=1.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Externet Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Well engineered polymer moulded rooms could have built-in wiring, joists, structural columns, door/window recesses, insulation, climate ducting, walls and ceiling and floor hermetic one piece, waterproof, washable, no rot, no paint, no termites, no rust, very lightweight, stackable or joinable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) Able to withstand a tornado or hurricane? I assume over the size of normal road traffic, or do you split rooms and assemble on site. And, what do you expect the cost to be? I think houses built similar to earthships, which are labor intensive using very inexpensive and free materials will be winners on cost, when robots do most of the work. Edited February 16, 2014 by EdEarl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sciencekid Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 3D printers worry me, mainly because of the criminal fraternity. http://www.3dprinter.net/category/crime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 3D printers worry me, mainly because of the criminal fraternity. http://www.3dprinter.net/category/crime Guns are already available to criminals, a few more will not make a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endy0816 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 From what I've read it took awhile to get the gun to the point it was possible to fire(without risk). I know the field is always advancing so, the time required may have gone down since I last looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Rice Carpenter Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 This interesting topic could lead down many paths. It's impossible to say what 3D printing will be used for in the future. I am certain that not all of the uses will be positive ones. Interesting times, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 From the earliest use of technology, fire making and stone working, it's uses have been for both good and bad. Fire can warm or burn, stones can protect or murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Externet Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 There you go... ----> http://www.chron.com/business/technology/article/Amsterdam-canal-house-built-with-3-D-printer-5317200.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdEarl Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 There you go... ----> http://www.chron.com/business/technology/article/Amsterdam-canal-house-built-with-3-D-printer-5317200.php Excellent find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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