The team’s proposal would enlarge the current Yangqu dam on the Yellow River, the second-longest river in the country. It involves using additive manufacturing to eliminate the need for a 3D printer. Instead, AI-controlled robots will perform “intelligent paving and rolling” using the filling material traditionally found in 3D printers to create multiple layers to build each section of the dam. Therefore, they will collectively fulfill the same actions as a single 3D printer would.
How can China build a 3D-printed dam without a 3D printer?
Answer: With robots and AI.
Apparently, if you substitute in robots and artificial intelligence, it is theoretically possible to build a 3D-printed dam without using a 3D printer. A research team at Tsinghua University in Beijing recently published a study detailing their plans to do just that.
The team’s proposal would enlarge the current Yangqu dam on the Yellow River, the second-longest river in the country. It involves using additive manufacturing to eliminate the need for a 3D printer. Instead, AI-controlled robots will perform “intelligent paving and rolling” using the filling material traditionally found in 3D printers to create multiple layers to build each section of the dam. Therefore, they will collectively fulfill the same actions as a single 3D printer would.
A robust computerized scheduling system will control the robots, telling them how much material to use and where, as well as tracking their progress. The idea is that the entire thing can be built without any human intervention or assistance (unless the robots need maintenance).
The team’s proposal would enlarge the current Yangqu dam on the Yellow River, the second-longest river in the country. It involves using additive manufacturing to eliminate the need for a 3D printer. Instead, AI-controlled robots will perform “intelligent paving and rolling” using the filling material traditionally found in 3D printers to create multiple layers to build each section of the dam. Therefore, they will collectively fulfill the same actions as a single 3D printer would.
