Reading 007 Lena Pfeiffer

Reading 007 Lena Pfeiffer

This weeks reading Retooling for Mass Markets by Tom Verebes discusses the role of robotics is mass housing production.  The population growth on the planet has caused for necessary focus on creating living spaces for millions of people every year.  One issue this article discusses is the standardization of these housing projects and the lack of design diversity.  The standardized method that has grown out of the Industrial Revolution does not allow for a city to form a unique model for itself.  The question now is how can robots help us create a simplified way for design to become diverse again? How can the technology of these machines make it easier for these large housing projects to be built in an affordable and efficient manner, without taking away from the unique designs and character of the building?  

Through fabrication, manufacturing, construction, assembly and management, robotics has become a tool for the problem of the housing demand.  Both independent robotic design teams, and university-funded programs have been working to find the answers to methods of combining robotics and construction.  The next step is taking the fabrication out of the laboratories and into the field of the construction site.  

While standardization is "both the problem and the solution", the robot is a tool that can be an even better resolution to the issue of under-produced, under-designed, over standardized housing.