In the project of building smart houses, construction robots take care of knitting.(Video: Reuters.)
Researchers at the ETH Zurich University in Switzerland designed and planned the three-story DFAB building, the first in the world to witness a combination of many techniques. Robots and 3D printing technology will take over most of the responsibility of building this house.
Two meter high construction robot, capable of knitting steel mesh directly as concrete molds at construction site according to design.
Matthias Kohler, founding director of the National Center for Research in Capacity (NCCR), said: "In the past concrete houses were built in a mold-making way before pouring concrete from above. But now, robots directly knit metal mesh as a mold, which increases the strength of the concrete structure ".
The grid mold method does not waste like the traditional mold due to the special concrete mixture pouring into two layers of steel mesh, not overflowing. While large 3D printers print ceiling panels, the robot system will build two floors above the wood.
This construction method will meet future housing needs under a sustainable solution.
The DFAB is expected to be completed before the summer of 2018, with a floor area of 200 m2. This will be where scientists test new building and energy techniques in real conditions to create more efficient and sustainable buildings.