Oct 17, 2016 | By Alec
It’s a very common feature in most science fiction concepts: sentient homes that, like Iron Man’s Jarvis, take care of all your needs with a sassy attitude. But though smart technology is improving with leaps and bounds, it isn’t exactly cost-effective or applicable on a very large scale. London-based startup Ai Build is seeking to change that, and sees construction 3D printing as an key technology to make these type of smart homes affordable and possible. As a first step on a long road, they have just unveiled the 3D printed Daedalus Pavilion, which showcases the viability of their custom large scale 3D printing robot and learning algorithms.
The pavilion itself is very impressive, and was unveiled as part of the GPU Technology Conference in Amsterdam. A 5m by 5 m by 4.5m construction, it is large enough to house several coffee tables. But it also looks fantastic, like some sort of mesh butterfly, and was built using more than 160 kg of biodegradable filament from Formfutura. Consisting of 48 separate pieces, it was 3D printed in just three weeks using a custom KUKA industrial robot 3D printing setup.
But this achievement is even more remarkable for what it could lead to in the near future. For the London-based Ai Build is dreaming about next-gen construction, in which AI and robotics become indispensable. Their intentions thus transcend 3D printing, as Ai Build is seeking to create a home-hub prototype that provides smart, intuitive and natural home control. This teachable platform could be operated using voice or app control, and will learn from its inhabitants through a series of cameras and other sensors that make gesture and voice commands possible. “Currently a mobile app takes multiple steps to activate,” cofounder and CEO, Daghan Cam recently explained to Forbes. “You unlock your phone, you open the app, you tell it to turn on a specific light. This is more natural. Instead of using a mobile or a remote control, you use existing skills and natural language.”
Of course this future sounds great, but is extremely ambitious. Facilitating such a future not only requires revolutionary algorithms, but a very cost-effective appro...
SOURCE: 3ders.org ( go on reading...)
