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40 Comments
- Metoz, on 05/12/2009, -0/+17All in all, it's just another brick in the wall.
- Evolve, on 05/12/2009, -2/+16To bad the machine only stacks bricks and doesn't actually lay them with mortar. Ohh its nice for building sculptures but I'll be expecting something a bit more ... sturdy for a structure to live in/on.
- phunction, on 05/12/2009, -2/+12That's really awesome. If something like this catches on everything will start looking like buildings out of The Jetson's lol. Now all we need is flying cars. We'll leave that up to Doc Brown.
- falafelkiosken, on 05/12/2009, -0/+9...then a robot will build a wall from them
- ophello, on 05/12/2009, -0/+7"Why, that's the prettiest brick wall since Dieste" shall soon replace "best thing since sliced bread."
- zip000, on 05/12/2009, -1/+7These walls look very cool, but I'll be more impressed when the robots are doing things like laying the foundation and dealing with water drainage and everything else that goes into building a brick structure.
(I'm just too lazy to do all that myself) - clickmyface, on 05/12/2009, -0/+5Mortar isn't simply sprayed on with a nozzle.
- ophello, on 05/12/2009, -1/+6If the brick layers are robots, then your point is moot.
- swicepick, on 05/12/2009, -0/+4Why wouldn't we want such crazy walls? I'm tired of linear forms.
- theOster, on 05/12/2009, -0/+4"If all it takes to motivate you is a pretty picture and a clever phrase, you probably have a very easy job. One robots will be doing soon."
- Speedy7, on 05/12/2009, -2/+6When you see this, you'll ***** bricks.
- bratterscain, on 05/12/2009, -1/+5I can see when machines/robots start to be used more, there will be this duality which we'll struggle for. Machines like these see 1 or 0, NOT or AND, etc, a binary this or that view. I think the future will make us appreciate our humanity that much more because they can only see and use strictness in art, form, function. That is unless we program to be make slight mistakes to make their work have slight imperfections. But the reality of the universe, as we see it, is gray and malleable, not so binary and that will be a function or view for which is important. We can grasp imperfection while computers have a hard time figuring it out, at least, at this time. I'd rather have my home layed by a human brick layer. The slight imperfections make it art to me.
- LucasHenderson, on 05/12/2009, -0/+4In this time-line, Skynet evolves from brick-laying robots.
- Hefelumpman, on 05/12/2009, -0/+3Bricklaying is an awful, awful job. I've met a good few bricklayers, and their only advice to me was "don't be a bricklayer"
then again, maybe they just didn't like me :( - diggydougie, on 05/13/2009, -0/+3No, it isn't. But it could be.
- jgubbe, on 05/12/2009, -0/+3Funny, I just said to my parents yesterday that I believed that my job as an Iron worker will probably be taken over by a robot within the next 20 - 30 years. I also said to them I was interested in robotics. Maybe I am on the right track after all?
- silverchrysalis, on 05/12/2009, -0/+3they could build a handy dandy glue squirter, too.
- dhughes, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2 Bricks, LEGO for adults.
- alexforcefive, on 05/12/2009, -1/+3Unless they're sentient. Do you really want malcontent sentient robots armed with bricks on the loose?
- KloroFormd, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2It's a conspiracy by the Freemasons. I betcha.
- inactive, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2Jenga anyone?
*crash - obliviousfool, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2Those curved walls seem like they would be great for cutting down outside noises!
- RcknShdw, on 05/12/2009, -1/+3Pretty cool, but this isn't anything new at all. We have a few buildings where I live, and one wall remnant from another that wasn't torn down (public outcry to save it) that are -way- more intricate than this "wall" and were done by hand. Computers can make nice wavy walls, but humans can make compelling pieces of art with bricks. Found some pics of the wall here in town:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidandheidi/2542864 ... (They have a few different shots but the wall is amazing in person to see!) - diggydougie, on 05/12/2009, -2/+4The mortar option cost more.
But seriously, adding a nozzle to the arm should not be too much of a challenge to those guys. - skintigh, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2Machines like these are nothing more than a tool. They automated the work-intensive and complex work of laying bricks and did it more precisely than a bunch of computer nerds could have, which is a far different standard than perfection.
To say these tools will somehow hurt art is like saying modern paints hurt art, or better kilns, or new mediums.
A more apt example is CNC machines -- robots that cut out complex pieces of wood, glass, metal, etc. I'm sure you've seen wood floors with a wood inlay of a compass shape or something. With CNC machines you can create extremely creative and complex works of art out of many species of wood and have the CNC machine do all the grunt work.
http://www.waterlox.com/portals/images/default/han ...
I don't know if that is more or less artistic, but it certainly allows more people to create works.
And the computers grasp nothing, unless someone invented artificial intelligence that has gain sentience and forgot to tell me. - kponto, on 05/13/2009, -0/+2I like how they end the article with a picture from 1920's of the very same thing, except bigger and made by people.
- diggydougie, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2But the walls have holes in them. Not very good for thermal insulation.
- bwa236, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2We don't need no education
- Ebacherville, on 05/12/2009, -0/+2cool but where is the mortar.. not a very good wall with no mortar, thats where a robot is going to have problems.. compensating for the mortar, pointing it etc..
- dypchit, on 05/13/2009, -0/+2I wonder when the unions will start knocking on Harvard's door?
- unbenamtl, on 05/12/2009, -1/+2Pretty cool, both the results and computer engineering. Besides:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdNeaSgqcFg - dmcaudio, on 05/12/2009, -0/+1I'll wait for a machine that can do that with Legos. THAT's a worthwhile project.
- Zaeboes, on 05/12/2009, -0/+1I like to think that computers are very human because they were made by humans to serve humans. At the very least, the person that invented if, then statements thought in terms of if, then all the time.
- Zaeboes, on 05/13/2009, -0/+1In full scale, I certainly could not. I was 7. However, I was making remarkably similar designs with miniature building blocks. Also, I haven't tried, but I probably could do that in full scale now, with the help of a ladder perhaps.
- bradmw2, on 05/12/2009, -0/+1Computers have laid a lot more impressive things than that for people. Hey FlirtyGrlMwahMwah21.
- inactive, on 05/12/2009, -0/+1can you stack a thousand bricks to form a precise structure much larger than yourself, meanwhile, each brick laid is one that can not be removed?
- inactive, on 05/12/2009, -2/+2Man, computers are so much better than humans.
- Zaeboes, on 05/12/2009, -2/+1This is very cool, but at the same time not that impressive. I've been doing this with wooden blocks since I was 7. Dugg for robotics though.
- Geordae, on 05/11/2009, -6/+3pretty cool.
- AussieDr, on 05/12/2009, -6/+3Nice, why would we want such crazy walls?
And to make the obvious statement: wont some body think of the brick layers??!!??
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