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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Dreamt up by mechanical engineer and Harvard alumni Robert Flitsch, the Addibot is more than two years of research and development in the making [gizmag.com]. Where conventional 3D printing is generally limited to producing items of a specific size, restrained by the device's build area [gizmag.com], the Addibot team is aiming to break down these barriers to allow for infinite 3D printing possibilities.

In simple terms, the Addibot is a 3D printer mounted onto a moving robot. The thinking is that with the ability to move to any desired location, the Addibot can print larger objects, potentially on any scale. So rather than 3D printing in the conventional sense, where an object is created within a workspace and then removed for use, the Addibot approach is to reinvent that workspace by allowing the technology to operate in just about any environment where there's a flat surface.
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While the team says there is many possibilities for Addibots in this space, it will initially focus on road engineering. To this end, it is now developing a new distribution array that can accommodate asphalt materials, with a view to tending to cracks, larger potholes and even the complete resurfacing of roads.

While maintaining roads in their current form is a worthy pursuit in itself, the company says that its technology could also pave the way for more advanced roadways in the future. The thinking is that to keep pace with advancements in transportation technologies, such as electric cars [gizmag.com], we will need to rethink how the roads themselves are fabricated. By bringing 3D printing into the mix, it claims Addibots would be able to blend conductive materials into roadways for transmission of electrical power, for example, or add sensors to allow communication between vehicles. They could also make for more robust roads by printing materials for added strength, such as carbon fiber.

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