A US academic is working on a new type of building technology that could see the role of the construction worker rendered obsolete.

Behrokh Khoshnevis is a professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California. Over the past 15 years, the robotics and mechatronics expert has been developing a machine that utilises something he has called Contour Crafting to create buildings from nothing.

A prototype of the system has been developed, showing how quick-setting, concrete-style material is first used to form the walls of the structure, layer-by-layer before a crane is used to fit floors and ceilings.

Printed Buildings

Structural components, wiring, plumbing and utilities are fitted during the building process, with the technology even allowing for consumer devices like televisions or stereos to be built as part of the plans.

It could have far-reaching effects for the industry, with the technology reportedly faster than any conventional building methods on the market today – including prefab construction work.

Professor Khoshnevis also noted that the process is cheaper and uses less energy than standard methods with the electrically powered crane at the heart of the system producing little construction waste compared to standard construction vehicles, which can create up to seven tons of material waste, according to The Science Channel.

Contour Crafting could also offer unprecedented flexibility when it comes to building design, with plans simply programmed into a computer, which then sets about constructing the plans.

Printer that Prints Buildings

Professor Khoshnevis's technology is focused primarily on rapid home development, with the system offering an effective solution to the rebuilding work required after natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis.

But this could certainly be applied to the residential construction industry, with the demand for housing in the US and beyond continuing to rise. Despite these more obvious applications, as the man himself explained, it could soon be adapted for other uses.

"Contour Crafting will most probably be one of the very few feasible approaches for building structures on other planets, such as the Moon and Mars, which are being targeted for human colonization before the end of the new century," he explained.

The system has certainly caught the eye of US spaces chiefs, with NASA evaluating the use of the technology in the development of bases on Mars and the Moon. It would appear that, when it comes to this innovative construction tool, the sky may not even be the limit.

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