Hadrian Bricklaying Robot Can Construct a House in Just Two Days
Here’s a bit of technology sure to please developers worried about rising construction costs: This new robot engineered by Marc Pivac has the ability to erect a home in just two days. Named Hadrian after the Roman emperor who rebuilt the Pantheon, and more famously constructed the Hadrian Wall that marked the northern limit of Britannia, this incredible piece of tech can work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it’s able to lay 1,000 bricks per hour with the potential of building 150 homes in a year.
To construct a home, Hadrian uses 3D computer-aided design to pinpoint the location of every brick in a plan, then using the calculations to determine where it needs to cut each brick and lay it. A 92-foot articulated telescopic boom is used to apply the mortar or adhesive to each brick which is then stacked in the predetermined sequence. The robot is also able to take into account cuts required for electrical and other services.
Pivac says his machine is the world’s first fully automated bricklaying robot, and it took him $7 million and 10 years of research and development to bring to life. His company, Fastbrick Robotics, is hoping to soon commercialize the robot, and investment company DMY Capital Limited recently announced a conditional agreement to acquire the company.
The technology’s potential and timeliness are undeniable, especially for cities struggling with limited affordable housing stock and little money to build. However, we do wonder if the Hadrian is already on its way to being outdated. 3D printing has entered the construction realm and it’s able to generate far more dynamic and customizable forms at the same low cost.
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Images courtesy of Fastbrick Robots
