Schlagwort-Archive: 3D Printing

How Autonomous Construction Robots Are Changing the Landscape of Jobsites

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Robotics has quickly become pivotal across industries like manufacturing, health care and agriculture, transforming how work gets done. It boosts productivity and efficiency by taking on repetitive, precise and physically demanding tasks. This tech revolution is now entering construction, a sector known for its grueling physical demands and labor-intensive processes.

Autonomous robots are stepping up to handle critical jobs — from site inspections to heavy lifting — helping jobsites become safer, more efficient and more precise. This shift is fundamental to an industry where advanced robotics and human expertise work together, reimagining what’s possible on the modern jobsite.

Robots in Construction

Autonomous robots are making serious headway in the construction industry. Still, only about 55% of the sector globally is currently harnessing their potential. For companies that have embraced this technology, these devices have already tackled some of the most crucial and challenging tasks on jobsites.

For example, drones can handle aerial inspections, create detailed site maps and monitor progress with remarkable accuracy and speed. Meanwhile, specialized robots enhance bricklaying into a faster, more precise process. Moreover, large-scale 3D printing machines can construct entire structures, revolutionizing project planning and execution.

As these technologies improve, robots increasingly take on the larger and more complex tasks that once required intense physical labor. From foundational work to finishing touches, construction robots‘ capabilities are expanding rapidly. They manage these high-stakes jobs to reshape the industry and set new speed, safety and efficiency standards on modern jobsites.

This movement toward automation opens doors to a construction landscape where advanced technology and skilled labor work in tandem. It paves the way for more ambitious projects and a more streamlined building process.

Types of Autonomous Construction Robots

Robots come in many shapes and sizes, each designed to handle specific tasks that enhance precision. From ground-level operations to overhead site monitoring, these machines help employees plan, manage and execute projects. Here’s a look at some of the types of autonomous robots making a difference on jobsites today:

  • Drones for aerial site mapping and monitoring: These high-flying machines create detailed maps, monitor jobsite progress and conduct inspections from a bird’s-eye view.
  • Robotic excavators and bulldozers: Built to handle heavy lifting and earth-moving, they take on physically intense tasks. They speed up the early stages of construction and site preparation.
  • 3D printing robots for structural building: This advanced technology can build walls and entire structures — layer by layer — directly on-site.
  • Bricklaying and welding robots: They are perfect for repetitive and precision-focused tasks because they can lay bricks and weld with remarkable speed and accuracy. This reduces human error and improves efficiency in construction projects.
  • Inspection robots for quality control: They come with sensors and cameras to inspect completed work for quality and safety. They ensure workers meet industry standards throughout the project.

Each type of robot plays a specialized role, showing how automation can address the unique demands of construction and reshape what’s possible on jobsites.

Advantages of Robots on Jobsites

Robots benefit construction projects, especially regarding efficiency, precision and safety. Unlike human crews, these devices can work continuously to help reduce project timelines and keep everything on schedule. With their high level of accuracy, they minimize errors and waste, which also reduces costly rework and makes each project more resource-efficient.

Perhaps most importantly, automation makes construction sites safer. For example, taking over repetitive and physically taxing tasks helps prevent injuries related to repetitive stress and fatigue. This creates a safer work environment where human workers can focus on tasks requiring skill and oversight.

Impact on the Workforce

The rise of robotics in construction transforms job roles, shifting the focus from hands-on labor to more specialized oversight and technical maintenance. As robots handle demanding tasks like heavy lifting, bricklaying and site inspections, the U.S. construction industry is expected to need around 500,000 new workers in 2024 to meet project demands.

Robotics could help address this gap while introducing a tech-driven shift on jobsites. Although concerns about job displacement are natural, experts see robots and humans as a powerful team, each enhancing the other’s strengths. Machines can tackle repetitive, high-risk jobs to make sites safer. Meanwhile, human workers focus on decision-making, creativity and complex problem-solving. This collaboration helps build a smarter, safer workforce.

The Future of Autonomous Construction Robots

Over the next decade, construction robotics can make major leaps forward. In fact, experts predict the global market for these technologies could exceed $242 million by 2030. Emerging tools like AI integration and enhanced sensors are expected to bring new levels of functionality to robots. They allow them to analyze data, adapt to changing environments and make intelligent decisions to boost precision and productivity on jobsites.

These advancements may lead to fully autonomous construction sites, where robots manage nearly every aspect of the build, from digging foundations to applying finishing touches. Such a shift would slash project timelines and improve safety by reducing human exposure to high-risk tasks. It also sets the stage for an industry that combines cutting-edge automation with human oversight to deliver faster, safer and more efficient projects than ever before.

New Roles and Challenges in a Tech-Driven Construction Industry

While robots bring tremendous benefits to construction sites, they also open up new roles for workers in areas like oversight, programming and maintenance. However, these advancements come with challenges, which require workers to adapt to a tech-driven environment and develop specialized skills to thrive alongside automation.

Guest article by Ellie Gabel. Ellie is a writer living in Raleigh, NC. She's passionate about keeping up with the latest innovations in tech and science. She also works as an associate editor for Revolutionized.

Amazing Advancements in Soft Robotics

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Soft robotics represents a groundbreaking advancement in the field, standing apart from the rigid structures people usually associate with traditional robotic systems. Learn more about recent advances in this field and the many benefits.

The Era of Soft Robots

Nature and biology heavily influence soft robots, giving them the flexibility and ability to adapt to their surroundings. For example, some commercially available soft robotic designs mimic fish, octopi and worms.

Innovative materials such as shape-memory alloys, dielectric elastomers and liquid crystal elastomers are critical to soft robotics. These materials change their properties in response to various stimuli. Grippers on soft robots, made of high-tech elastomers, mold to the target object’s shape. This flexibility ensures a gentler and more adaptable grip than rigid robots, making them ideal for tasks like fruit picking. 

Soft robots also use self-healing materials made from shape-memory alloys. These alloys allow the robots to repair themselves after damage, increasing their operational life span and reducing maintenance needs.

As technology progresses, scientists outfit soft robots with sensory systems, enhancing their ability to understand their surroundings. For example, soft pressure sensors can tell a robot if it’s gripping too hard. Some researchers are even developing soft robots capable of working in swarms, emulating the behavior of fish, bees and birds. 

3D printing, a form of advanced manufacturing, has revolutionized how scientists design and produce intricate soft robotic parts, driving innovation and accessibility in this sector. Some robots incorporate the strengths of both rigid and soft systems, resulting in hybrids that offer improved strength, precision and flexibility. Instead of traditional motors, there’s a growing trend towards fluidic actuation. Robots use liquids or air for movement, making their movements more natural. 

Soft Robotics in Medicine

Robotics is revolutionizing various aspects of modern medicine. In rehabilitation and physiotherapy, soft robotic exosuits or exoskeletons support patients recovering from strokes, spinal cord injuries or surgeries. These devices gently guide and assist patients, helping them regain motor functions, relearn movements and restore strength.

In assistive medical devices, soft wearable robots are emerging to help those with mobility issues. The Wyss Institute at Harvard University developed a soft, wearable robotic glove that assists individuals with hand disabilities in performing day-to-day activities. This glove, made from soft elastomers, can assist in gripping objects, potentially improving rehabilitation outcomes.

Scientists at the City University of Hong Kong developed a soft robot capable of maneuvering inside the stomach and intestine. The robot can change shape and size, facilitating better imaging and allowing localized drug delivery or biopsies.

A collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University resulted in a soft robotic sleeve that surgeons can place around the heart. This device helps the heart pump more efficiently in patients with heart failure, providing a potential alternative to organ transplants.

In diagnostics, soft robots simplify procedures like endoscopy, making it less invasive and patient-friendly. Patients can now swallow endoscopy capsules equipped with a camera and a tissue collection mechanism to get the same results traditionally obtained by putting patients under general anesthesia. 

Research teams at institutes like the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Italy have been working on developing soft robotic arms that can assist surgeons. Due to their soft and pliant design, these arms can navigate the body with minimal risk of damaging tissues or organs.

Soft Robotics in Marine Conservation

Equipped with sensors, soft robots can monitor water quality, track marine species and evaluate the health of habitats over prolonged periods. Their non-intrusive nature and versatility enable them to probe areas inaccessible to traditional robots. MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory developed a soft robotic fish named „SoFi“ that can swim naturally in the ocean, recording close-up videos of marine life and providing insights without alarming or disturbing the aquatic life.

Soft robots also offer the potential for marine clean-up efforts, such as removing pollutants like microplastics and oil spills. The WasteShark, developed by RanMarine Technology, is an ASV designed to „eat“ or collect trash in harbors and other waters close to the shore. This drone skims the water’s surface, collecting waste in its path, thereby aiding in marine clean-up.

The Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus expeditions have been using ROVs to explore and map uncharted coral reefs, helping scientists understand their structures, the species they harbor and their overall health. Similar soft robots can be deployed to plant sea grass and maintain coral reefs. 

ROVs like the Hercules, also from the E/V Nautilus expedition, have robotic arms that can collect geological and biological samples from the deep sea that can help scientists study ecosystems in abyssal regions, leading to new species discoveries and insights into deep-sea conservation needs.

The Challenges Ahead

Soft robotics faces challenges, but its vast potential is undeniable. A primary focus lies in developing innovative materials that combine durability, flexibility and responsiveness. While traditional actuators, like motors, aren’t suitable for soft robots, alternatives like pneumatic and hydraulic systems are on the rise, promising unparalleled autonomy.

Manufacturing these robots at scale is now more feasible due to advanced construction techniques and materials. Even as these robots retain flexibility, integrating crucial rigid components, like batteries, is becoming smoother. The scientific community aims to enhance the response times of soft actuation mechanisms to match or exceed traditional systems.

Safety remains a top priority in soft robotics, especially in applications involving humans or medical scenarios. Although the field recognizes the higher initial research and production costs, they believe ongoing advancements will reduce expenses. 

Guest article by Ellie Gabel. Ellie is a writer living in Raleigh, NC. She's passionate about keeping up with the latest innovations in tech and science. She also works as an associate editor for Revolutionized.

Creality’s new budget 3D scanner, the CR-Scan Lizard, is about to hit Kickstarter

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Creality has lifted the veil over its latest 3D scanner. In an effort to further diversify its 3D cosmos, Creality, the well-known manufacturer of 3D printing-community-favorites such as the Ender 3, has announced its new and improved 3D scanner: the CR-Scan Lizard.

This entry-level 3D scanner for consumers follows the company’s CR-Scan 01 — which was released a fairly short time ago as an affordable option for users to digitalize objects. The new Lizard is smaller in size for better portability and feel but promises improved features such as accuracy up to 0.05 mm, and better handling of bright environments and dark objects. All that for less money than its predecessor, even.

With the Lizard, you can scan small or large objects with ease. The CR Studio software does the heavy lifting of optimizing models and even sends those files via the Creality Cloud directly to your 3D printer. The applications seem almost endless.

With some early bird specials, the CR-Scan Lizard has made a debut on Kickstarter on February 2022, and, unsurprisingly, smashed its campaign goal in next to no time.

We have gathered all the information revealed so far about this new consumer-grade 3D scanner to give you an overview of what the Lizard has in store. Creality has also already sent us a scanner to try for ourselves, so keep an eye out for our upcoming hands-on experience.

Image of Creality CR-Scan Lizard: Specs, Price, Release & Reviews: Features

Features

HIGH ACCURACY

With the CR-Scan Lizard, Creality wants to bring professional-grade accuracy to the budget market. According to its spec sheet, the scanner has an accuracy of up to 0.05 mm allowing it to capture small parts and intricate details with high precision. Thanks to the scanner’s binoculars and improved precision calibration, Creality says it can pick up rich detail from objects as small as 15 x 15 x 15 mm, or as large as objects like car doors, engines, rear bumpers, and so on.

SCAN MODES

The CR-Scan Lizard comes with three different scanning modes. You can either use it in turntable mode, handheld mode, or a mixture of the two to scan an object.

Turntable mode is suitable for 15 – 300 mm objects and will scan automatically. You can use the combination mode for larger objects up to 500 mm, where you put the object on the rotary table but hold the scanner in hand to scan. Lastly, its handheld mode is suitable for scanning large objects up to 2 meters in size, such as the car parts mentioned above.

Plus, thanks to its visual tracking, the Lizard doesn’t need markers to work. You can scan objects without having to pin a bunch of stickers to them first — its software’s tracking algorithm will take care of that for you.

LIGHT OR DARK

Besides its scan modes, the Lizard also offers some improved scanning functions that should make it easier for users to achieve good results with minimal effort.

For one, Creality states the Lizard can scan accurately in sunlight. 3D scanners typically struggle with too much direct light, forcing users to scan in a darkened room for best results. However, Creality claims the Lizard, thanks to its multi-spectral optical technology, maintains excellent performance even in bright sunlight — which would vastly improve its field of application. The scanner can also be powered by a portable charger, so, in theory, you could go out there and scan the woods to your heart desire.

What’s more, the CR-Scan Lizard promises better material adaptability when scanning black and dark objects. Sounds like it’s got it all.

COLOR MAPPING

Creality has stated that it is planning to release a fully automated color mapping texture suite in March 2022 that promises true color fidelity for your scanned objects, but its currently still in development. Once released, you can make use of the mapping process, where high-definition color pictures of the model taken with a phone or DSLR camera can automatically be mapped onto the 3D model, allowing you to create high-quality, vivid color scans.

CR STUDIO

The Lizard’s accompanying software, CR Studio, promises many features that should help to achieve clean scans. For example, the software features on-click model optimization and multi-positional auto alignment, auto noise removal, topology simplified, texture mapping, and much more.

You can also upload and share models via the Creality Cloud, allowing you to slice your scanned objects and even send them to a 3D printer — all with the click of a button.

Release Date & Availability

Creality has set up a limited pre-order via Kickstarter. The scanner is available for backing since February 10, 2022, alongside some early bird batch sales. According to the Kickstarter campaign, shipping will take place in April.

Over the past days and weeks, Creality has already released a couple of videos on its YouTube channel showing off the scanner’s features in greater detail. Be sure to check those out if the Lizard tickles your fancy.

Creality has also already sent All3DP a CR-Scan Lizard to try out, so we are looking forward to giving it a spin in the next few days. Stay tuned for a full review of our hands-on experience.

At the time of writing, the CR-Scan Lizard is available via Kickstarter with super early bird pledges, priced from $300 for the most basic Lizard package and reaching $400 for the luxury version that already comes with a color kit.

According to the campaign, the off-the-shelf price for the Lizard will be $599 for its base version. So, there are potentially some bucks to be saved if you get in early. However, it wouldn’t be the first time that prices given changed eventually.

Here are the technical specifications for the Creality CR-Scan Lizard 3D scanner:

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Precision: 0.05 mm
  • Resolution ratio: 0.1 – 0.2 mm
  • Single capture range: 200 x 100 mm
  • Operating Distance: 150 – 400 mm
  • Scanning Speed: 10 fps
  • Tracking mode: Visual tracking
  • Light: LED+NIR (Near-infrared mode)
  • Splicing Mode: Fully automatic geometry and visual tracking (without marker)

OUTPUT

  • Output Format: STL, OBJ, PLY
  • Compatible System: Win 10 64bit (MacOS to be released in March 2022)

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

  • Machine Size: 155 x 84 x 46 mm
  • Machine Weight: 370 g

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3dprintmill/creality-cr-scan-lizard-capturing-fine-details-of-view

Revopoint POP 2 3D Scanner Launched on Kickstarter

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The upgraded and even more feature-rich version of Kickstarter’s Most Funded 3D Scanner Ever was launched today

Shenzhen—Following its successful Kickstarter story with the platform’s most funded 3D scanner ever, Revopoint is launching today the second generation of the device, offering a new version that supports more functions and an enhanced 3D scanning performance. Catering to the requirements of 3D printing creators, VR/AR model makers, reverse design creators, and high-tech enthusiasts in general, Revopoint POP 2 3D Scanner has been launched at <https://bit.ly/30tcYiJ>.

POP 2 adopts a Binocular and Micro-Structured Light formula for an exceptionally high precision and texture scanning performance. The device uses a proprietary micro projecting chip to ensure that the fast acquired 3D point cloud data is captured with a high accuracy of 10 frame rates, achieving a 0.1mm single-frame accuracy. 

POP 2 has a built-in high-performance 3D calculation chip that supports fast 3D scanning. Its embedded 6Dof Gyroscope also enhances a fluent shape, marker point and color feature point cloud stitching. „And the user can enjoy these amazing features with any ordinary smartphone, tablet, or laptop due to POP 2’s intelligent algorithms, which ensure speed and accuracy for the scanner regardless of the computer you use it with,“ Miss. Vivian, the co-founder of Revopoint, added.

The 3D scanner launched today allows users to explore expanded scanning possibilities, including using it as a handheld scanner for big statues and other big figures outdoors, or to mark points to scan large or featureless objects. POP 2 also innovates by using an invisible eye-friendly infrared light source to project and scan. This makes it possible for users to scan human and animal faces and body parts without producing any discomfort to the scanned subject.

„This is a professional-grade 3D scanner with a wealth of high-end features offered at a consumer-grade price. Everyone can buy it and use it,“ said Vivian. The versatile device supports high-precision handheld and turntable scanning, featuring impressive accuracy combined with a simplified one-button operation.

Designed for professionals and demanding hobbyists, POP 2 is a compact 3D scanner that can be carried and used anywhere. Its single cable can be used to charge and connect to the user’s smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

The scanner’s software is also simplified and user-friendly, allowing for the operation to be displayed on its interface. „If there’s an error, you can simply roll back, correct it, and keep moving forward with no worries,“ Vivian assured. The software works with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, unlike conventional 3D scanner software, which only supports Windows.

The company representative further clarified that the device is especially designed for 3D printing, human body scanning, large-scale sculpture scanning, a plethora of cultural and creative design applications, reverse modeling, different medical applications, and advanced VR/AR and 3D modeling applications.

The Revopoint POP 2 3D Scanner campaign on Kickstarter at <https://bit.ly/30tcYiJ> is seeking to raise $9,975 to fund the large-scale production of the scanner. Backers who support the campaign gain early and discounted access to the device.

About Our Company 

Revopoint focuses on the research and development of cutting-edge structured light and 3D imaging core hardware technology. The company’s core technical team leverages many years of experience in 3D imaging and artificial intelligence technology research and development, having developed different devices in the field, from chips to complete machines, focusing on 3D cameras and 3D scanner products.