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Contour Crafting - Extrude-a-House

Posted by michael on from the just-mix-and-pour dept.

lww writes "An article in New Scientist discusses the work of Behrokh Khoshnevis at the University of Southern California to design and build a fully automated robot that performs Contour Crafting, his name for a process to extrude successive layers of semi-fluid building mixtures like concrete to create entire structures. In the article, he says 'The goal is to be able to completely construct a one-story, 2000-square foot home on site, in one day and without using human hands.' by 2005. I'm pretty jazzed at the potential to construct buildings with highly curved/creative contours that would be impossible using current construction techniques."

15 of 385 comments (clear)

  1. Suburbia by shystershep · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boy, and I thought houses in housing developments were too cookie-cutter now.

    --
    The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer. - Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Suburbia by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or it could go the other way. On your block everybodies house would be completely different.

      And that guy next door to you who has a house designed to look like a giant vagina is now reducing the resale value of your house...

      --
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    2. Re:Suburbia by El · · Score: 4, Funny

      And that guy next door to you who has a house designed to look like a giant vagina is now reducing the resale value of your house... Or increasing the property values, if you live in an area with a lot of geeks... especially if your own house is designed to look like a giant penis...

      --

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    3. Re:Suburbia by decepty · · Score: 5, Funny

      it'd be funny in an earthquake... "look, the giant genitals are slamming together, we're fucked!"

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    4. Re:Suburbia by Scaba · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think lpangelrob2 is right. If you notice, the designer of the building is A. Epstein, which is an anagram for "eat penis". Coincidence? I think not...

  2. Willlmmaaaa! by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
    At last! Now I can build the house of my dreams!

    Now, all I have to do is get Fred out of the way...

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  3. Thats it by An-Unnecessarily-Lon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am moving to Mars where they still build houses the old fashion way. Wait... what? ..... Aww crap

  4. Thank god. by pclminion · · Score: 4, Funny

    At first I read that as "Extrude-a-Horse." I was picturing some unfortunate horse being turned to goo as it was extruded through a small pinhole. Ick.

  5. Extrude, huh? by inertia187 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ex'trude v. ex'trud'ed, ex'trud'ing, ex'trudes
    v. tr. 1. To push or thrust out.

    Boy, the trolls are going to have a field day with this one.

    --
    A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
  6. A robot shat my house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Would anyone ever be proud to say "a robot shat my home"? These things will likely replace trailer-houses: the Cletus Delroy's of the future can say "Hey Maw! We're movin' to a brand spankin' new droid-turd!"

  7. Make him a house he can't refuse by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Try getting something like this pushed past the trade unions. You might wake up with a horse head under your sheets.

    Or during the night one of the house-crapping bots extrudes an entire 64-unit condo into your bedroom.

    --
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    1. Re:Make him a house he can't refuse by bugnuts · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or build a house AROUND your house, with no doors.

      I need to build me one of those buildings in "Cube".

  8. Re:Dunno if the article says anything about it... by beacher · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is slashdot. Windows is a bad thing here

  9. Good news/Bad news by unassimilatible · · Score: 5, Funny
    Good news: The printer is only $50

    Bad news: Ink cartriges are one miiiiiiiilllllon dollars! (Austin Powers voice).

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  10. Now I need another euphemism for pooping! by csoto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Man, don't go in the bathroom! I just "extruded a house."

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