创新背景

3D打印技术的出现改变了许多行业，它使研究人员、学生、企业家和大型工厂能够迅速将数字设计转化为有形物品。

3D打印在建筑行业的应用越来越广泛。然而，其部署面临的挑战包括，基于其尺寸和运输能力，机器的建设能力受到限制。

创新过程

通过与宾夕法尼亚大学和伦敦帝国理工学院的研究人员合作，Empa的研究人员已经创造了一群受蜜蜂启发的无人机，它们可以在飞行中集体3D打印材料，允许无限制造建筑和修复结构。

延时摄影光迹展示了空中AM机器人团队的多智能体协调。

这种3D打印的新方法的灵感来自于蜜蜂和黄蜂等自然合作的建造者，创新应用了飞行机器人（也被称为无人机）来实现。这支无人机编队被称为“空中增材制造”(air Additive Manufacturing)，它根据单一蓝图进行合作工作，并在进行过程中调整技术。它们在飞行时是完全自主的，但由人类控制者监控，控制者根据无人机提供的信息检查飞行进度，并在必要时进行干预。

这项研究有可能影响难以到达、危险或具有挑战性的高度区域（如高楼和桥梁）的建筑方式。虽然这项工作还处于概念验证的早期阶段，但它的分布式、自适应制造方法符合建筑领域的趋势和建筑设计的新机遇。

创新关键点

这种3D打印的新方法通过使用飞行机器人，也被称为无人机，利用集体建造方法，灵感来自于蜜蜂和黄蜂等自然合作的建造者。

创新价值

未来，研究人员将与建筑公司合作，验证他们开发的解决方案，并提供维修和制造能力。他们认为，与传统手工方法相比，该技术将显著节省成本，降低风险。

The use of drones and collective construction can reduce the constraints of 3D printing

Working with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Imperial College London, Empa researchers have created a fleet of bee-inspired drones that collectively 3D print materials on the fly, allowing for unlimited fabrication of buildings and restoration of structures.

This new approach to 3D printing is inspired by naturally cooperative builders like bees and wasps, and the innovation uses flying robots, also known as drones, to make it happen.The drone fleet, known as Air Additive Manufacturing, works collaboratively from a single blueprint, tweaking technology as it goes. They are fully autonomous while flying, but are monitored by a human controller who checks the progress of the flight based on information provided by the drone and intervenes if necessary.

The research has the potential to influence how difficult to reach, dangerous or challenging height areas such as tall buildings and Bridges are built. While this work is in the early stages of proof-of-concept, its distributed, adaptive manufacturing approach is in line with exciting trends in architecture and new opportunities in architectural design.