In a research article published today by Science Robotics, work by马萨诸塞州理工学院（麻省理工学院）Mediated Matter剑桥的实验室描述了一种用于建造大型结构的3D打印方法。
A robot arm, mounted on a vehicle, controls a nozzle through which an expanding foam is sprayed. With repeated passes, a series of layers of the foam are built up. As the foam expands, it sets and the cavity created by building two parallel walls can then be filled with concrete. The case study shows how an architectural-scale hemi-ellipsodial dome section was 3D printed.
该团队评估了各种快速固化的聚氨酯泡沫，Dow Chemical的泡沫泡沫泡沫用于记录的测试印刷品：“根据治愈速率，易于喷雾控制和层沉积的一致性。”
The Digital Construction Platform
研究人员将其称为数字施工平台（DCP），“一个自动化的施工系统，能够使用实时环境数据进行过程控制定制现场制造建筑规模的结构。”研究中介绍的版本是平台的第二个迭代，并使用“2015年ALTEC ATEC ATEC 40GW航空电梯系统，带有Kuka Agilus KR 10 R1100 Sixx WP电动机器人臂安装在空中升降机的端点。”
视频显示DCP 3D打印机成功地打印了14.6米，3.7毫米塔的开放式圆顶组件结构，研究人员说，该结构在不到13.5小时内完成。科学杂志说，这就是“世界上最大的植物园建筑。”DCP能够延伸10米，其负载能力为158千克。
激光提高稳定性
Reportedly, the MIT team has received interest from Google, NASA and even a private individual who was interested to learn if the DCP could be used to create an underground basket ball court.
使DCP能够精确操作的关键功能之一是在机器人臂尖端上包含激光器。激光器可以准确测量手臂位置，并反馈此信息以进行自动调整，并保持打印稳定的稳定。
DCP，“consists of combined hydraulic and electric robotic arms in a micro-macro manipulator configuration, mounted on a tracked mobile base.“进一步的详细信息说明了概念的基础，”around a mobile compound robotic arm system composed of a large, 4-DOF hydraulic arm with a smaller, 6-DOF electric arm attached at its endpoint.” This set-up is similar in design to a human shoulder and hand say the researchers.
自给自足的操作
The project was led by mechanical engineer Stephen Keating who has grand ambitions for the DCP. Speaking to Science Mag, Keating explained that the 3D printer could be used to make a variety of unusual shaped buildings, “而不是制作方形建筑物，您可以以相同的费用制作苏斯博士 - 看着建筑物。”
Off-world construction options may also be a future direction for the research.配备solar panels and batteries, the Digital Construction Platform is designed to work in a variety of environments in a self-sufficient manner. The researchers conclude, “We believe that this is just the beginning of a new intermixed age of robotics, fabrication, and self-sufficiency。”
The article, “Toward site-specific and self-sufficient robotic fabrication on architectural scales” by Steven J. Keating, Julian C. Leland, Levi Cai and Neri Oxman can be在这里阅读。
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特色图像显示了DCP工具路径的视觉记录，该记录可以帮助提高性能并创建MIT徽标。通过科学机器人技术照片。
