[UPDATE] Your next house or commercial building will be built by... A Robot!

[txlibdem]

As you may recall, Contour Crafting is basically a giant sized 3D printer that can build a 2-story house in 1 day, or it can build a commercial building as well.

I wrote to the inventor of the Contour Crafting machine to see if he had any new info, etc. This is what he wrote me back:

Thanks for your interest. The economy and the sate of the real estate and construction markets have not been very favorable. We are starting to get expressions of interest now. You are correct. The site is not well maintained. Here are some links to new videos:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4420610/CC_Video_All_Clips%20copy.mov

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31jkjsZPjtQ

Behrokh "Berok" Khoshnevis, Director
Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT)

http://CRAFT.usc.edu
Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering,

Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering and
Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0193

In the video they show a much improved (yet still commonplace) house design and explain a bit more about what the robotic builder will do and what the humans have to do as well (see, no loss of "human" jobs).

Then I googled a bit:

Khoshnevis's machines can create three-dimensional items in any desired shape -- cubes and boxes, bowls or domes, cylinders, cones; cones coming out of boxes, rings or disks, either geometrically regular or free-form. (See illustration, below)

The materials can be plaster, concrete, adobe, plastic or even wood particles mixed with epoxy into a paste. Guided by computer programming based on analysis of CAD-CAM representations, the Contour Crafting nozzle-and-trowel system molds these materials into shape while semi-liquid. Khoshnevis believes the resources of Information Sciences Institute, a nationally recognized facility specializing in computer research, will help sophisticate the programming and controls.

http://www3.isi.edu/about-news_story.htm?s=47

Of course, nobody wants a plastic house but the other options might be interesting, more so than concrete due to the energy intensiveness of that process. I wish someone would build a solar-powered concrete manufacturing facility...

I started wondering what shape I would want my house to take if it were built by Dr. Khoshnevis's 3D house printer...

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. Bet his "robot" can't fix my furnace

[tridim]

2. My idea is a drop house

Inflate a form (probably a dome) and pour epoxy foam and/or light concrete on it from the top. Done.

[txlibdem]

5. Those are cool too

But you do need to construct rebar reinforcement inside the concrete unless you use marine grade (the same stuff they use for swimming pools would do also).

I love the roof lines that method creates... but my wife hates that look so I'll probably never live in a house like that (well, there is one way... just kidding sweetie).

[TheWraith]

3. Personally I'd choose plastic over concrete.

Easier to modify and better resistance to damage from subsiding. I'd like to see how the wood paste would work, though.

[txlibdem]

4. I was also thinking about the wood paste... as long as Termites hate it that is.

:-)

[TheWraith]

10. Not a problem in my climate. They can't take the cold winters.

We get dry rot now and then instead.

[txlibdem]

13. [UPDATE - additonal info]

We need to start thinking outside the box on every single solitary thing we do as a society and as individuals if we are going to leave a livable planet to our grandchildren. Why should they suffer for our stupidity or lack of initiative???

Robots, always the villain in the movies and on television, will help us do things we could never have thought possible, and do them in environmentally friendly ways. Remember, a robot discovered water on Mars. A robot helped find and take scans of the Titanic sitting in its icy grave at the bottom of the ocean. A robot built part of the car you drive and the computer you are using to see this post. That doesn't sound evil to me... it sounds downright helpful.

I'd like to see a little more positive thinking and much less of the defeatist and illiterate from our leaders and our citizens alike.

[DURHAM D]

6. Personally I would rather have one of these -

porcelain steel homes.

http://www.lustronconnection.org/home.html

[tularetom]

7. 25% unemployment in the construction bidness

And people are trying to figure out ways for the work to be done by robots.

Well at least all the people who are out of work can go live in a cement yurt.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[txlibdem]

12. You didn't read the OP or watch the youtube video

Workers will still be needed for the construction and the interior and finish carpentry. It'll just get done one heck of a lot faster.

[jwirr]

9. And even if it was correct they are lying about the benefit to specific

communities. The pipeline that goes from Canada through NE MN is in my neighborhood. The workers got good money but the jobs are temporary - they last just long enough to get the job done in your back yard and then they move on. If you do not want to leave your family and move with them the job is done. Many of the workers who did the work here were from Texas and other states. They did hire some local workers - often the owners of the land they were putting the pipe through.

[TheWraith]

11. I think you meant to reply to a different thread? nt

[txlibdem]

14. [UPDATE - additional info]

Sorry. Misposted.



We need to start thinking outside the box on every single solitary thing we do as a society and as individuals if we are going to leave a livable planet to our grandchildren. Why should they suffer for our stupidity or lack of initiative???

Robots, always the villain in the movies and on television, will help us do things we could never have thought possible, and do them in environmentally friendly ways. Remember, a robot discovered water on Mars. A robot helped find and take scans of the Titanic sitting in its icy grave at the bottom of the ocean. A robot built part of the car you drive and the computer you are using to see this post. That doesn't sound evil to me... it sounds downright helpful.

I'd like to see a little more positive thinking and much less of the defeatist and illiterate from our leaders and our citizens alike.