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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

A new research project aims to develop the world's first flying robots capable of autonomously assessing and manufacturing building structures [phys.org] to help areas suffering from natural disasters.

The four year collaborative research project entitled 'Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing: Distributed Unmanned Aerial Systems for in-situ manufacturing of the built environment' involves researchers from the University of Bath, Imperial College and University College London.

The research team aims to develop drones that can use an Additive Building Manufacturing (ABM) system to reach remote and disaster areas, and 3D print structures such as shelters and buildings, providing much needed disaster relief.

The drones being developed could fly to a disaster zone, scan and model the landscape using Building Information Management (BIM) systems, design temporary shelters, and print them on the spot. This could give those in need a place to live until emergency services personnel can reach them.

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