Hadrian X robot can build house in two days

As the saying goes, 'Rome wasn't built in a day', but if the revolutionary Hadrian X 3D printing robo-builder existed back in the day, it would have been a distinct possibility.

Developed by Australian company Fastbrick Robotics, the Hadrian X is named after the famous Roman-built Hadrian's Wall, in northern England. The robot brickie is said to be able to lay 1000 bricks per hour and build an entire house in just two days.

Hadrian X has taken 10 years to develop and is an 'end-to-end' machine, designed to automate the laborious process of bricklaying.

"People have been laying bricks for about 6000 years and ever since the industrial revolution, they have tried to automate the bricklaying process," says Fastbrick Robotics Chief Technology Officer, Mark Pivac.

"We're at a technological nexus where a few different technologies have got to the level where it's now possible to do it, and that's what we've done."

Hadrian X has been designed to work 24 hours a day and can, according to its inventors, build with more precision than a highly trained builder.

The robot is essentially a truck-mounted 3D printer. Using bespoke computer design software, Fastbrick Robotics generates a 3D model of a home, feeds the data into Hadrian X and the machine then prints the structure course by course – just like how a regular 3D printer produces any item.

In addition, it also cuts and routes bricks ready for laying, meaning no human hands are involved in the entire process from start to finish. The bricks used are unique and integrate interlocking perpendicular joints using construction glue designed to strengthen thermal efficiency, as opposed to traditional cement.

Building from a 3D CAD model allows for a high level of accuracy, and compared with the lengthy process of building a home with human labour, this appears to be highly efficient technology.

But what does Hadrian X mean for the future of builders, and in particular bricklayers?

Only last year, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) cautioned that almost five million Australian jobs could be replaced by robots in the next two decades. However, it's not all doom and gloom.

"We're seeing more and more technological advances that are set to have a profound impact on a wide variety of industries," Pivac says.

"While bricklayers will surely experience the effects of this trend, we hope that they will be able to move from a labour-intensive and often dangerous role, to a position that is based on quality control and the supervision of a more efficient worksite."

Pivac also believes his robot could help attract younger people to the profession.

Hadrian X is currently in its research and development phase, at an estimated 30 per cent completion. It should, however, reach full completion closer to the end of 2017, and be commercially available in early 2018 for around A$2 million.