Robots Work Together to 3D Print Large Structures

[AlphaAtlas]

Traditional 3D printers can produce exceedingly complex structures, but the size of those structures is limited by the size of the printer itself. Researches from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore figured out how to build arbitrarily sized structures by mounting 3D printers on mobile platforms. While the robots only work inside, the researchers picture similar robots being used for construction in remote, hard to reach places.

Check out the video.

Getting the robots to print while moving, Pham says, "requires even higher precision in the localization of the base" -around 1 millimeter- "to ensure that the layers are appropriately positioned one above the other." They'll also be thinking about extending the reach of the robots arms by putting them on scissor lifts, and also adding on-board obstacle (and human) detection to improve the robots' autonomy.

 

[BSmith]

Oh goody! Teach them to build things without being nailed to one location and soon they will be building coffins around us all!!!!!

 

[Chimay]

They will make some excellent designs on cakes. Bye bye cake boss, the robot overlords are coming for you first!

 

[Deleted member 93354]

That's great if you aren't worried about sub-mm tolerances.

 

[BSmith]

That's great if you aren't worried about sub-mm tolerances.

Just limit them to building 4 story, or smaller.

Of course, they will violate it and build a monster tower which will tip over and crush their human overlords!!!

 

[Ski]

Oh goody! Teach them to build things without being nailed to one location and soon they will be building coffins around us all!!!!!

So in your hypothetical dystopia, not too long after A.I. becomes conscious and it starts to pacify any human they feel threatened by, what do you think it's conclusion will be when it scours all of your entire post history (thanks NSA) and reads this post? It's a rhetorical question...

 

[BSmith]

So in your hypothetical dystopia, not too long after A.I. becomes conscious and it starts to pacify any human they feel threatened by, what do you think it's conclusion will be when it scours all of your entire post history (thanks NSA) and reads this post? It's a rhetorical question...

Long before they reach my little diatribe, they will have already concluded humans are the biggest problem this planet has and will be long on the way to eradicating us from this ball in space.

Note to self: Stop forgetting to put that giggling emote on your posts! There are those who take things you mean to be funny, very seriuosly!!!

 

[Ski]

They will have already concluded humans are the biggest problem this planet has and will be long on the way to eradicating us from this ball in space.

Glass half full guy I can see.

 

[IcePickFreak]

That's great if you aren't worried about sub-mm tolerances.

Or sub-inch. Look at the joint where each "part" meets, they look to be offset by an inch at least.

Though this is more a proof of concept, I'd guess. I'd think once they get them dialed in a bit better, they would alternate where that seam is every other layer. In it's current form that would just make a mess though.

 

[DrezKill]

Working together to build shit. Great, now they will be even more efficient when they start making instruments of human genocide.

 

[katanaD]

i can see a construction site with nothing but AI builder bots building a new building.. and the human foreman occasionally notices small dips in performance

when going out to try to figure it out, he then notices a small group of asian AI sexbots hanging out