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Robots Built a House That Generates More Energy Than It Needs (dwell.com)
MikeChino writes: The world's first home designed, planned, and built with mainly digital processes just opened its doors in Switzerland. Developed by eight ETH Zurich professors, DFAB House is a pilot project showcasing futuristic building technologies that may someday work their way into our homes. It's topped with a solar array that generates, on average, 1.5 times more energy than the unit needs (an intelligent control system eliminates the risk of load peaks), [and there are waste heat recovery systems to recycle heat from shower trays back into the boiler.] Some of the pioneering ETH-developed construction processes include: "Mesh Mould technology, in which an autonomous 'In Situ Fabricator' robot builds a 3D mesh formwork for concrete load-bearing walls; Smart Slab, a lightweight concrete slab with 3D-printed sand formwork that's less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab; Smart Dynamic Casting, an automatic robotic slip-forming process; and Spatial Timber Assemblies, a digital prefabrication process that uses a dual robot system to create timber frame modules," reports Dwell, adding that people "manually filled in formwork, bolted CNC-milled and 3D-printed pieces into place, and tweaked the digital design process."
That is so fetch!
What does that even mean??
I seem to be lost. Can somebody direct me to an actual tech and science site?
So, could I use the excess energy the house generates to mine cryptocurrency so it will pay for itself?
To be honest, I get the feeling it might be exhausting to live in a house that's working harder than I am.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Brick walls from literally Roman times are still standing in my city.
Fucking iron mesh and concrete walls from 20 years ago already crumble!
Sorry, I want my house to last. Not whore the "OMG 3D printer robot AI" fad. My grandkids are only give a shit about the former.
My grandma's (brick) house still stands, just like it did, 220 years ago.
I'd like my house to be comfortable, convenient and not an eysore.
That piece of ugly crap, which costs probably a fair bit more than obscenely expensive doesn't qualify in any way.
So, nice research, go get your ignobel.
Smart Slab, a lightweight concrete slab with 3D-printed sand formwork that's less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab
Typically cutting corners like that ends like this.
But... but... they're 3D printing it this time!!!1
Do they exist on this site anymore? Do they exist in tech in general anymore?
There's an anecdote about radio astronomy pioneer, Grote Reber. Though American, he spent his final years in a house that he built in Tasmania (a good place to detect radio signals through the ionosphere). The house was so well insulated that he wasn't able to use his kitchen oven, since the room temperature became too high.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Roc...
2KW Gas Generator from Walmart 370 bucks.
Robots Built a House That Generates More Energy Than It Needs
*Robot stares you straight in the eye*
"Maybe more than YOU need HUMAN"
*Robot sucks on power cord, eyes glow brighter and brighter as it leans back and shudders with delight*
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It would probably be more cost effective to create a grow room for umm "hydroponic vegetables" or something, depending on the local laws regarding growing things which can vary by county and state.
(Note: Though Switzerland is also federal, it is divided into cantons and comunes, not states and counties).
Regarding the legality of growing the specific specie of "hydroponic vegetables" that you had in mind, the law is quite clear: you can go full commercial as long as your producing low... "vitamin" vegetable, and people are allowed to carry their snack (= small quantity for consumption) regardless of content of "vitamins".
In practice, based on what I've heard from friends (sorry only anecdotes, no first-hand experience: I'm more a beer type of person), growing your own "high-vitamin" "hydroponic vegetables" for your own consumption is more or less tolerated, as long as it's not exploited commercially.
So to go back to your proposition :
- To recoup costs, they could grow nearly any other vegetables commercially and sell them, but not the "high-vitamin hydroponic vegetables" you had in mind (the commercial exploitation being the big practical "nono", the "high vitamin" content being the legal pretext to prevent it).
But in practice, the canton (=state)-owned utility companies will pay you when buying back energy.
It is common practice here around for anyone with local production (such as solar panels) to have special meters that can sell back electricity into the network.
So most probably, they are going to earn the easiest money simply by injecting the extra electricity into the network.
(No need to fuss with any agricultural work).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
In all seriousness, you could indeed make money with the extra energy:
Most state-owned utility company (including the one in canton Zurich where this is situated) will buy back electricity production.
It's pretty common installation for anyone with local electricity production (such as the TFA's solar pannels) to have special electricity meters that can inject any exceeding electricity back into the network.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
They're basically saying that portions of the building structure were 3D printed or CNC'ed, then assembled on site.
Look at the photos. Here the portions where 3D printed on site.
They're just trying to claim that nobody's ever done it at this level before.
And, possibly, they're right.
Yup, their claim to novelty is to directly have the machine built the house on site, instead of merely assembling pre-fab. /. over the last year).
(Like the couple of other 3d printed house project that got mentionned on
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
That's has got to be one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. But "whimsical" architecture is all the rage right now. I guess I'm becoming an old fart, but this style seems like something that won't be remembered 50 years from now, except by other architects. Many of whom will pontificate about the wonderful daring steps these pioneers took, only to ignore it when it comes to their own commissions.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."