[amor de cosmos]

Teams of 3D-printing robots can build large objects
Megan Treacy
Technology / Gadgets
June 23, 2014



We love 3D printing for the customization it allows. Printers can be used to make very specific objects that can't be found through mass production and they produce objects right where they will be used, no lengthy transportation necessary.

Researchers have developed 3D printers for metal, sand and even for using recycled plastic filament, but so far if you want to print anything large, you either need a large machine or you have to print out lots of smaller pieces and then assemble them into something larger. Researchers from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Barcelona have solved that issue by creating a team of 3D printer robots that can print large structures on-site, free from the confines of a machine.

The IAAC technology can make buildings in one continuous, layer-by-layer process by utilizing a few 3D printer robots working as a team.

The robots are called Minibuilders and are 16.5 inches wide or less. Using their own sensors and local positioning systems, each Minibuilder performs its individual role in order using instructions provided by a central computer. A Supplier robot provides liquid building material to each of the Minibuilders as it's needed.

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/sw...e-objects.html

Video Link