Against the current backdrop of a housing crisis and preparations for lunar conquest, a spider robot named Charlotte is marking a before-and-after in the automated construction . Designed by Australian companies Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology, Charlotte is a six-legged autonomous machine that can 3D print a 200-square-meter home in just 24 hours.
3D printing with available materials
Unlike other 3D printing 3D printing systems that require heavy infrastructure, Charlotte unfolds like a robotic arachnid and uses an extrusion system that takes advantage of local materials such as sand, compacted soil or construction waste. These are encapsulated in fabric and compressed in layers to form strong, efficient walls.
This technology makes it possible to build sustainable, resilient and low-cost housing without the need to transport industrial materials. The process is inspired by techniques such as earthbagging, but enhanced with robotic intelligence. robotic intelligence .
Terrestrial and space applications of the spider robot
While on Earth Charlotte seeks to offer a scalable solution to address the housing shortage and emissions associated with traditional construction, on the Moon its compact and lightweight design allows it to be transported on space missions. Its modular structure can be folded, making it easy to load onto spacecraft, and once deployed, it can manipulate the lunar lunar regolith to erect shelters, bases or laboratories.
According to its developers, the goal is to have a construction system capable of operating in extreme conditions, without direct human assistance, and with logistics adapted to hostile environments such as the lunar surface .
Institutional support and future of the project
Charlotte is part of the NSW Space+ program, driven by SmartSat CRC and funded by the NSW Government. Its development is aimed at emergency construction in areas affected by natural disasters and also future space missions that require habitable structures in record time.
With this initiative, Australia enters the competition to dominate robotic construction. robotic construction both on and off Earth, competing with developments such as those of ICON in collaboration with NASA and other space 3D printing technologies. space 3D printing technologies .
Source and photo: Crest Robotics
