Could This Robot Build A House In A Day?

California Engineer's Invention Could Roll Out Concrete Homes Starting This Year

(CBS)  By CBSNews.com's Christine Lagorio

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Building a home in one day is a feat accomplished rarely without dozens of plucky Habitat for Humanity volunteers or an entire "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" cast. But a California academic named Behrokh Khoshnevis is sure he can do it.

Actually, he thinks a robot can do it.

Khoshnevis — an inventor, engineering professor and director of the Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies at the University of Southern California — says the idea is a simple one: "If you look around, everything else we use is made automatically, like the pen you're holding, the shoes, the cars. The reason we don't have [automated homebuilding] is simply that we haven't had the large-scale technology."

It came to him a decade ago when an earthquake damaged his house. When using a hand trowel to fill in cracks, he thought, "a machine could do this."

"Through that experience it occurred to me that I could use this simple tool, the trowel, with mechanical elements and construct things," Khoshnevis tells CBSNews.com.

For the past ten years he's been working on an idea he calls Contour Crafting, a process by which a concrete mixture-depositing bulky one-armed robot layers rows atop each other until a structure forms. The robot takes its orders from a computer, and prints the concrete onto the earth the way a printer lays down ink.

The first attention-getting building machines Khoshnevis constructed were small, table-top robots that took computer instruction to make shapes that resembled beehives, funnels or curvy vases. By 2004, he made a larger version able to build a wall.

"It attracted a lot of publicity, and a lot of people thought this was going to revolutionize the construction industry," he says. "When you build one wall, you can build four walls and have a room, and with many rooms to have a house."

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Watch a robo-builder in action

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Dr. Dan Boss, Associate Director of the Discovery Group at construction-supplier USG's Corporate Research and Technology Center, came across Khoshnevis's Contour Crafting at an innovation session at USG. Boss watched Khoshnevis's machine build a small freestanding structures out of concrete, and USG decided to invest in the research for Contour Crafting.

"It is very early, but I think we see that it could change how at least some buildings are done in developing parts of the world and in remote sites where you don't want to bring in a lot of outside material," Boss says.

Khoshnevis says it could bring about a more sweeping change in the construction industry.

"Eventually this technology can be used to make single-residence structures, condos or high rises," he says. "We are just at the beginning of an era in construction where full automation is going to be important."

But first, Khoshnevis must show the world he can build even one house, in one day, using a robot. He says this is the year.

By the end of summer 2007, his structure – an undulating, futuristic concrete demonstration building – should be in place at the information sciences institute at the University of California in Marina Del Rey.

"It will use curves to demonstrate the process," he says. "This technology allows you to be very flexible, and make domes and curves at the same price as linear walls."

But the house has been 10 years in the making already, and Khoshnevis has had trouble making a large-scale machine support enough weight and be precise enough to build a reliable structure.

[sajad_kafashi]

i'm really prod D.r khoshnevis as an iranian.he is a symbol of iranian tallent such as other iranian ingenious.he is a big man . i know that he can do anything he want.
i'm really love him because he is my townsman
goodluck D.r behrokh
we never forget you.........

[freehartz]

We already overpopulate the world, and invade every nook'n'cranny - this will make that a whole lot worse!

[paymane-2009]

He is Iranian. I know because I am too.

A lot of things ought to be done by machines.

In the near future, cities will be built, managed and operated by machines either with little remote human intervention.

Khoshnevis is leading the way. Hopefully one day he will be able to go back to Iran and contribute to developing the new Iran.

[kofiananimus]

Concrete is good in compression, but sucks in tension (including tension induced by bending). Does the machine also place the steel reinforcing bars required to deal with tension (and concrete shrinkage)? Does the machine place the concrete fast enough for it to be considered a monolithic pour, or are the layers more like individual concrete masonry layers that have to be bonded together? Does the concrete have an extremely low slump, or is formwork required to keep it in the desired place until is has cured enough?

[canaima]

If a robot can make an acceptable, durable (and concrete's pretty darned durable) single-family dwelling in ONE day, or even two, no Mexican nor any other nationality will be able to build a house cheaper unless they work for free.

[consciousnes]

Maybe the quality of the construction will go up and be maintained on a decent level.

[random_radar]

This reminds me of the story of John Henry and the steam drill. In this case is it Mexican labor versus house building robots. John Henry lost the first battle, but the Mexicans may still win this time. You don't have to be better, just cheaper.

[alphaa10-2009]

This is a remarkable story of progress on a persistent problem of mankind-- how to create simple, safe, habitable structures at cost low enough to make decent dwellings a reality for even people in the third world.

Consider that al Qaeda thrives on human privations and misery, and we at once understand it is far more cost effective to invest in technology such as this, rather than building ever-more-expensive war machines. This was the original premise of the Peace Corps, which alone of all US aid programs retains the highest level of gratitude and recognition where it was active.

Imagine airlifting dozens of such machines to Pakistan to rebuild safe, durable housing from the mud and rubble of the quake itself. Rather than read reports of refugees slowly freezing to death for lack of safe shelter, America could make a permanent, positive difference in their lives which would go far to restore our prestige where our vital interests are at stake.

[joehawkinson]

I think he is Iranian though :)

"those dumb ragheads , what can they give to humanity?" Official White House Souse


sarcasm off

[mitywhity]

Thank God it is an American!

[anopinion1]

put me down for one