Cementer Inventor
Media Coverage:
Make Magazine
Another effort to help the fab labs to become materially self-sufficient and self-replicable is the 'machines that make' project, which includes robotic rapid prototyping machines that can be made using the same robotic rapid prototyping machines. Towards this goal, the Cementer Inventor is a large scale machine that is designed to be cast on-site from locally available cement. The molds for the machine are folded from sheet metal (like origami), and allow for hardware to be cast in place. Also in progress, for the same project, are hybrid linear reluctance motors, in both guided one dimensional and two dimensional air bearing form.
Ongoing development of the machines that make machines project is currently being led by Jonathan Ward (MIT CBA) and Nadya Peek (MIT CBA)