Similar to how a silkworm spins a cocoon from a single thread, there is a new man-made robot that also creates things from a single thread. The only difference is that while a silkworm builds a cocoon for a home, the robot builds custom-shaped fiberglass structures for further construction.
Robots that can spin fiberglass thread. Their silicon balloons are shown on the left and the various types of fiberglass structures formed are shown on the right. Source: Science News
Once programmed, these robots are capable of building woven fiberglass tubes that can create large structures such as buildings and bridges, without the continued help of humans. Because they can be independent after being programmed, the robots become especially useful when it comes to infrastructural development in areas where humans cannot go.
Down below is a video of how these robots build fiberglass structures.
When it comes to size, these robots are only a little bigger than a 1-liter bottle. This is including the silicone balloon with propeller arms located on the top of the robot. These “arms” are primarily used to build fiberglass structures by producing a resin-coated thread, which is then hardened through ultraviolet light. As a result, the threads are glued into one larger piece that is usually at a length of 9-centimeters. Once formed, the silicone balloon deflates and tilts to bend the segment into different shapes and sizes.
The components of the Fibreglass Spinning Robots. Source: Archpaper
Markus Kayser, a designer and roboticist at MIT, and his colleagues tested the fiberglass structure made by the automated robots. They found that the structures could withstand cold weather for up to seven months without any damage. In addition, they have found that the robots could join other construction robots to build more complex structures.
Robots building tube-shaped fiberglass structures in extreme weathers. Source: Science News
One limitation is that because these robots receive orders from a computer, they can only create pre-registered and pre-designed infrastructures. However, as these machines advance in technology, there is a high possibility that they will be capable of doing much more. There is hope that they may even be part structural development in areas such as underwater or even on other planets.
