Scientists develop mobile 3D printing robot for building buildings

Scientists at MIT have developed a 3D printing robot capable of printing the basic structure of a building. The system is mobile and, according to the researchers, should be able to build fully autonomous buildings on, for example, the planet Mars in the future.

The Digital Construction Platform, as the printer is called, is on two tracks and uses an industrial robot arm, to which a smaller and more precise robot arm is attached. This allows the nozzle to be checked, for example in order to spray concrete or insulating material very precisely. The mouthpiece can be adjusted based on the ‘building material’ used. The system can create an object of any size. The system is described in a paper in the journal Science Robotics.

To demonstrate the concept, the scientists had the prototype made into an open structure for a dome building, 3.5 meters high and about 15 meters in diameter. The system took 13.5 hours to complete the construction. According to the researchers, the first analysis would show that the Digital Construction Platform can build such a structure faster, cheaper and safer than if regular construction methods had been used.

The idea is that the Digital Construction Platform will eventually become self-sufficient and can make buildings completely autonomously. The unit is equipped with a shovel to level the ground for construction work and to collect any construction materials, such as soil. The system can be powered electrically, possibly via solar panels.

The idea is that the device will be deployed in remote areas in third world countries or in disaster areas to provide shelter relatively quickly after a major storm or earthquake. The makers envision that the system will be sent to Mars or Antarctica in the future to build buildings there completely autonomously and for years, whether or not prior to the arrival of astronauts.