Could Your Next House Be Built From Giant Lego By An Inchworm Robot?
Hackaday • • technology
Key Points:
- MIT researcher Miana Smith has developed an open-source inchworm robot, called MILAbot, designed to assemble structures from large voxel-like blocks, resembling giant LEGO bricks.
- The robot features five degrees of freedom and actuators on both ends, enabling it to anchor onto a structure and incrementally build by moving from one block to the next without a traditional base.
- The voxels used are engineered space-frame blocks that require additional finishing, such as spray foam insulation, making this approach more suitable as a framing technique rather than a complete building solution.
- Compared to 3D-printed concrete houses, voxel-based structures made from plywood, PLA, or metal have lower embodied energy, though traditional balloon-frame construction still has the lowest energy use but requires costly labor.
- While balloon-frame construction currently remains more cost-effective, robotic assembly techniques like MILAbot offer promising alternatives that could reduce labor expenses and innovate future building methods.
