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MIT has a robot to build your next dome

MIT has a robotic platform that has been in the works since 2011 and can 3D print a 12 foot high structure in 14 hours.  

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/27/mits-giant-mobile-3d-printer-can-build-a-building-in-14-hours-and-some-day-it-may-be-headed-to-mars/

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The team has been working on the ‘bot since 2011, developing it through multiple iterations. This morning, it showcased what it’s been working on in the form of a quick time-lapse YouTube video, which features the platform constructing a 12-foot-high dome made out of a combination of foam and concrete, creating a structure that is solid, while still sporting space for things like wires and pipes to be inserted in its side.

 

In all, the process took a tad under 14 hours to complete. The video, however, is just the beginning of the team’s ambitious goals. Steven Keating, a recent PhD grad in mechanical engineering, authored the paper on the project that went live this week. He’s speak about his team’s ambitions with a rapid-fire enthusiasm that travels from the MIT labs to housing structures being built on Mars in a matter of seconds.

This is actually a really neat video and the article notes that according to MIT this is a platform and not a 3D printer since Dr. Keating envisions that this will have several different platforms working in tandem to create a structure, including having some platforms digging, milling and printing.  

 

One of the limitations that I can see with this is maintaining the raw materials for it to construct with as well as the size and scale of the structures, but it could be a great technology for building more rigid structures in a harsh environment or to build temporary rigid structures in a disaster zone.

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Yeah looks cool if you are into circular shacks.

I wonder how wind proof it is with all that foam. Puncture proof too.

What about windows and doors.

 

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10 hours ago, yathis said:

Yeah looks cool if you are into circular shacks.

I wonder how wind proof it is with all that foam. Puncture proof too.

What about windows and doors.

 

it probably is very similar to cement, only with carbon dioxide or something bubbles in it which is a great bonus because that will directly insulate it too.

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Why not live for free out in the woods?

 

I wonder why they dont do that in Vancouver because you always see the woods. If you dig an underground shelter you are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Be a bit of a commute wouldnt it tho.

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1 hour ago, yathis said:

Why not live for free out in the woods?

 

I wonder why they dont do that in Vancouver because you always see the woods. If you dig an underground shelter you are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Be a bit of a commute wouldnt it tho.

I mean... Anyone with some basic survival skills could take a small backpack of supplies to the woods and live the rest of their life like that.

 

 

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Yeah, 3D printing so far seems more suitable for temporary houses.

 

Interesting title because there has also been built a robot that gives dome.

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