
Machine 'Prints' Brick Roads - DrScump
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/amazing-machine-prints-brick-roads-151109.htm
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jonknee
Sadly it's just a way for you to lay brick without having to kneel, the people
on the machine are actually laying the brick. Watch the video.

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PhasmaFelis
So? I don't think those four workers could lay the pathway nearly as fast
without the benefit of the machine, not to mention the amount of short-term
pain and long-term injury saved by not having to spend all day kneeling and
hunched over.

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jonknee
Sure, but don't call it a machine that prints roads. If I had a printer where
I had to draw all the output I don't think I would call it a printer!

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MrTonyD
I want to see this done with a swarm of drones unloading a self-driving truck
which was loaded by a robotic fork lift. Maybe they could also tile my
bathroom and put a wood floor in my living room while they're there.

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0_00_0
What a disgusting example of shitty "journalism" trying to cash in on 3D
printer hype with a complete bastardization of the word "print". It's a
ramp..... that's it. It's not new, it's not innovative. It's not even the
first time it's been done.

This should not be on hacker news.

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PhasmaFelis
> cash in on 3D printer hype

It rather looks like a 2D printer to me...

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neaanopri
How are the bricks secured to the roadway? There's no mention of any mortar.
Could I just pick up the bricks and walk away with them?

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gregpilling
yes, this is pretty normal for brick driveways and patios also. It is a tight
fit though, and not easy. Often a fine sand is brushed into the joints to fill
the small gaps and make a tighter fit.

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dexterdog
The good sand has a binding agent in it and hardens when it gets wet to really
lock the bricks together. Still if you want a brick they're not hard to pry
out.

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URSpider94
I think there's a mistake in the article -- it should say 13 SQUARE feet per
minute, not 13 feet per minute.

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PhasmaFelis
The manufacturer's website says "Speed: 4 meters/minute." Though I suspect
that's the machine's top speed, not the speed at which it lays brick--it's
battery-powered and driven by remote or on autopilot, so there's little reason
for it to move any faster.

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DrScump
earlier article of theirs here:
[http://www.discovery.com/dscovrd/tech/amazing-machine-can-
pr...](http://www.discovery.com/dscovrd/tech/amazing-machine-can-print-brick-
roads/)

