Machine Can Autonomously 3D-Print Buildings On Mars

3D-printing has advanced enough that it can even produce entire buildings, putting current construction companies in a bind. However, MIT just unveiled a machine that can print buildings autonomously, using materials that it finds in its surroundings. This could be placed in Mars ahead of astronauts to create structures that could be usable by the time humans get there.

The machine in question is called the Digital Construction Platform (DCP) and is the most advanced 3D-printer in terms of versatility. Fully customizable, the machine can create any structure of any size, Futurism reports. What’s more, MIT is planning on making it completely autonomous and capable of using materials from its immediate surroundings in order to build structures anywhere.

As far as uses go, the DCP would be perfect for the colonization of Mars because it would mean fewer things for astronauts to bring with them. Bio-domes or air-locked buildings aren’t exactly light, which would affect spaceflight schedules and travels.

According to Steven Keating, the engineer who led the effort to create the DCP, the main goal of building the machine is so that “in the future, to have something totally autonomous, that you could send to the moon or Mars or Antarctica, and it would just go out and make these buildings for years.”

The researchers published their findings in the Science Robotics journal, where they showcased a proof of concept involving the DCP creating a building using only a few materials. The construction was finished in a mere 14 hours, resulting in a building made of foam and concrete that was 12 feet high.

Naturally, there are still a few kinks in the system to work out, with the aesthetics of the resulting architecture being a huge issue. For now, however, it’s safe to say that deploying the DCP to remote areas on earth to create buildings wouldn’t be much of a stretch.