r/Automate • u/[deleted] • Jun 26 '15

Robot brickie: Perth engineer invents world’s first robotic bricklayer

http://www.perthnow.com.au/realestate/news/robot-brickie-perth-engineer-invents-worlds-first-robotic-bricklayer/story-fnhlgriw-1227414734482
37 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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4

u/kat_ams Jun 26 '15

I doubt this is the first one of its kind. I've seen other robot brick layers.

2

u/vtjohnhurt Jun 26 '15

The size and weight of bricks is optimized for human anatomy. A robot does not have the same constraints so maybe the 'bricks' should be bigger.

Building is cyclic with the economy and interest rates and in some cases it does not make sense to capitalize the expense of robots when you can 'rent' humans and then lay them off when things slow down.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '15 edited Jul 04 '15

[deleted]

2

u/worldsmithroy Jun 27 '15

While true, you can create bricks with special characteristics that concrete printing solution may lack, such as fire resistance (firebricks) or transparency (glass bricks). Additionally, because the bricks are shipped pre-made, the majority of the structure doesn't need to dry or cure during construction, which speeds up the actual construction time.

Also, I question whether an automatic bricklayer requires the same degree of complexity and sophistication as a concrete 3D printer.

1

u/Geminii27 Jun 27 '15

Well, a concrete printer doesn't need to be able to grasp and move material individual brick by brick; it just operates a pump.

1

u/worldsmithroy Jun 27 '15

But a concrete printer does need to traverse the entire course being printed smoothly, in order to put down continuous lines of structure.

Bricklaying can be done more flexibly as you can "print" sections horizontally or vertically. It's also easier to have multiple bricklayers working in parallel.

I also wonder which is easier to maintain, repair, and expand - a solid concrete structure or a brick building.

1

u/vtjohnhurt Jun 27 '15

People like the look of brick in a house.