A four-year collaborative research project between three British universities is working on how to have drones build liveable structures, such as shelters for survivors, in disaster areas that are too difficult or dangerous for rescuers to reach.
Current 3D printing systems are too large and inflexible to be flown into remote areas so researchers are starting from scratch to figure out how to miniaturize the printers and supply the drones with the necessary building materials.
Researchers have come up with the idea to use a "swarm" of drones and a 3D printing system that can autonomously assess need and manufacture buildings or even bridges. The idea is to have the drones use on-board Building Information Modeling systems to survey the landscape, create a model and then work together to erect new buildings.
(more on the research of developing a drone and 3D printing system for disaster areas...)
