Austrian startup Printstones, which has been developing 3D printing robots since 2017, has unveiled its latest prototype: Baubot, a robot for construction.
Baubot’s main mission is to assist and automate the construction industry, improving site safety and reducing costs. The device can replace workers in harsh environments and considerably speed up the construction process.
According to New Atlas, the electrically driven robot, much like a military tank, reaches a maximum speed of 3.2 km/h and can be controlled manually or configured to follow pre-programmed commands.
Baubot, which runs for eight hours straight without the need to charge the battery, has a multifunctional arm with a range of 1,000 mm.
This arm accommodates a number of different tools to help with construction tasks – milling and drilling, screwing, plasma cutting, welding, brick laying, sanding and painting surfaces.
The robot can carry a payload of up to 500kg, has built-in cameras to monitor the job site, built-in lighting to work during night time and built-in displays that show notifications and warning messages to human colleagues.
“What will start as a simple collaboration can develop into a swarm of robots working together, enabling innovations in various fields: on-site positioning, environment recognition, as well as new smart tools and processes,” the company noted.
The platform design could even extend to shipbuilding or aircraft manufacturing. Baubot could also be used in infrastructure inspections, proof that the future of this robot looks promising.
