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.
CHECK THIS OUT!
“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.
