This may look like a robotic arm… but it’s actually a 3D printer.
And researchers at the University of Johannesburg say they have been able to build a six-room home with this printer in just one day.
Incredible video and photos shared by the university’s vice-chancellor, Tshilidzi Marwala, show the printer building walls layer by layer.
READ MORE! This house will build itself in 10 minutes and can be delivered on the back of a truck
One video shows the printer’s arm working on building one of the walls of the home.
“At UJ we are building a six-room RDP house in one day using 3D Printing,” Marwala said in a tweet.
“This 3D printer at the University of Johannesburg is fast.
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“If we invest in this technology… we can provide our people with decent housing.”
Marwala said other house designs could take just five hours, MyBroadband reported.
But 3D printing homes is not a new concept.
A Denmark-based start-up recently built a tiny house made of concrete, according to designboom.
The brainchild of 3DCP and Saga Space Architects is made up of a bedroom, bathroom, an open-plan kitchen and a lounge room.
Speaking of new ways to build a home, TenFold Engineering has made a house that can be raised within minutes.
The US company has been developing what it calls “mobile unfolding buildings and structures” for several years now and it reckons they are a game-changer.
Transported to a site by land, sea or air (or any combination of the three), the houses will then unfold and build itself into a full living space in as little as 5-10 minutes.
How does 3D printing a house work?
An engineer programs floor plans and designs into the printer before concrete and other building materials are put into the machine, Ohio University says.
It’s usually a mix of concrete, fiber, sand and geopolymers.
The arm of the printer is extendable and then builds a structure layer by layer.
It can cost less than $4,000 to build a home with a 3D printer, according Ohio University.
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