Photo credit: GXN
GXN Innovation has partnered with Dansk AM Hub and MAP Architects to start a “Break the Grid” initiative for construction technologies. In addition to addressing environmental issues, like climate change, the team hopes to one day create 3D-printed robots that can crawl, swim and fly, to repair things in the environment wherever they’re needed. The robot you see above is designed to create artificial reefs by extruding a mixture of sand, glue, and a binder, all extracted from the ocean.
No, this initiative doesn’t mean that there is a factory of churning out these robots, but rather free-roaming 3D printers that can act autonomously, wherever and whenever. The six-legged hexapod robot that you see above would roam around cities looking for micro-cracks and pot holes to fill before water or other damages occur.
Another concept aims to minimize the loss of heat and energy due to poor insulation in high-rise buildings, so they designed a flying robot to fill older buildings with thermal insulation made from materials that combine glass with strong polymers. When they’re not installing insulation, they could also be used to patrol these buildings.
