No doubt you have read about 3d printing, a fantastic technology that allows users to build three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model. Here's what a typical three-dimensional printer looks like:
A USC professor of industrial and systems engineering figured out how to scale up this technology (way up!) and use it to build houses and other small buildings. The robotic devices would be able to lay foundations, construct walls, and even do quite a bit of the wiring and plumbing. Then finishing crews could come in and install flooring, windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, and appliances. The result would be a better built, better engineered structure that would go up much more quickly and for far less labor cost, and would be resistant to storms and termite infestations.
He demonstrates the process in this very interesting 12-minute video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdbJP...layer_embedded
For Those Interested in How Stuff is Designed, Engineered, and Built
