A Harvard mechanical engineering grad named Robert Flitsch has one goal: to make municipal issues a thing of the past — at least those that relate to streets and roads — with a car-shaped robot that can smooth over roads with the help of 3D printing.

Named Addibot, the four-wheeler prototype Flitsch built might resemble a deconstructed RC car or a defeated battlebot, but it's anything but a toy — and a lot more similar to a roving 3D printer. Armed with an array of nozzles, the idea behind the bot, which will either be remote-controlled or self-driving, is that it will use these hoses to fill in potholes with durable material, eradicating them altogether.

"One of the main limitations with 3D printers is you typically have it printing inside this box, and you can really only print objects of the size of the workspace you're printing in," said Flitsch in an interview with Popular Science. "If you take additive manufacturing implements and make them mobile, you can print objects of arbitrary size."

As for the difficulty of storing and mixing tar, which would be the go-to substance used for repairs?

"All the storage for material, all the chemical processing could be done on board the Addibot," explained Flitsch. "Tar materials, which have to be kept at a high temperature, can be done in a tank with a constant heat source added to it. Power sources could be various kinds, depending on the size of the robot." 

Despite the utility of these bots, it might be a while before we see them: although Flitsch has the prototype and has tested it out on ice (think: mini-Zamboni that repairs uneven ice), he is still seeking funding for a road-oriented model.

See the Addibot in action in the video clip below.

 

Via: Popular Science