Pop-up robot arm can be controlled by a smart device

A Danish company has developed a robotic construction system that fits inside a shipping container and can be controlled through an app.

Up to now, at Springwise, we have seen a number of innovative construction methods. These have included a sustainable Portland cement and a 3D printed house. Now, Danish company Odico has developed a miniature, all-in-one robotic construction system that fits inside a shipping container.

The Odico system, called Factory on the Fly, uses a “plug in play” platform that is easy to use, even by construction companies with little to no expertise in robotics. The platform is operated from an iPad, which allows even novices to robotics to use the system. According to Odico chief technology officer Asbjørn Søndergaard, the system “bypasses the current technocracy of robot manufacturing. It then replaces it with a straightforward user experience, the simplicity of which is on a par with using conventional tablet apps.”

Factory on the Fly incorporates automated formwork production techniques, including robotic hot-wire cutting, along with reinforcement bending, sheet cutting and more. The Factory allows automation of manufacturing to custom dimensions and at robotic speed. This can help companies save both costs and time. The system can be easily transported around the world inside a standard 3-metre long shipping container. The Factory robots can create complex, 3D builds at a much faster speed than with standard portal milling machines.