3D Printers To Build Houses

gbjbaanb writes to point out an article in the Sunday Times describing two separate programs where robots are being developed to build houses. The Los Angeles project is farther along than the one in the UK, but the article provides more details on the techniques employed in the latter. Liquid concrete and gypsum will be sprayed from nozzles in a manner analogous to an inkjet printer. From the article: "The first prototype — a watertight shell of a two-story house built in 24 hours without a single builder on site — will be erected in California before April. The robots are rigged to a metal frame, enabling them to shuttle in three dimensions and assemble the structure of the house layer by layer. The sole foreman on site operates a computer programmed with the designer's plans... Inspired by the inkjet printer, the technology goes far beyond the techniques already used for prefabricated homes. 'This will remove all the limitations of traditional building,' said [an architect involved with the UK project]. 'Anything you can dream you can build.'"

Comments

Re:A truly horrible idea

[tehcyder]

you could have nasty sex with BOTH your girlfriends in bedroom a, while someone in bedroom b next door wouldn't hear a thing

That's not going to mean a lost to most slashdotters, say instead "you could play games on both your Linux PC (*) and Mac Powerbook (**) at full volume in bedroom a, while your parents had nasty sex in bedroom b next door.

(*) If you can get the sound working.

(**)If you can find any games.