Charlotte robot demonstrates on-site 3d printing for wall structures

A spider-like robot named Charlotte is being developed to combine robotics and 3D printing for constructing homes from raw materials directly on site. The scaled-down prototype, supported by the New South Wales government under its Space+ program, was unveiled at the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. The robot is designed to straddle and move along wall paths, extruding or compacting local material to form structural walls as it advances. Developers claim it can operate at speeds equivalent to more than 100 bricklayers and reduce carbon-intensive construction steps by integrating processes internally.

Charlotte’s fabrication system is developed by a joint effort between Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology, the latter supplying a composite material made from sand, crushed brick, and waste glass. The robot aims to ingest raw aggregates and output built walls in a continuous process. Though still in early research and development, the project is viewed as a way to overcome labor constraints in housing construction by automating repetitive and risky tasks. The government funding lends legitimacy and momentum to integrating robotics into construction and infrastructure workflows.