Miana Smith publishes open-source inchworm robot for voxel construction
Updated
Updated · Hackaday · May 8
Miana Smith publishes open-source inchworm robot for voxel construction
4 articles · Updated · Hackaday · May 8
The MIT paper describes a five-degree-of-freedom MILAbot that grips engineered space-frame blocks from both ends and builds without a fixed base.
By anchoring to the existing structure, then to each new block, the robot incrementally assembles modular frames that researchers say could support more efficient automated construction.
The study says plywood, PLA or metal voxel structures have lower embodied energy than concrete, though conventional balloon-frame building remains cheaper and lower-energy for now.
Can MIT's inchworm robot build homes cheaper and faster than 3D printers or human crews?
Are robot-built eco-homes just a 'frame job,' still needing unsustainable materials to become livable?
As robots take over construction sites, are we solving a labor crisis or simply creating a new one?