3D printing homes on Earth, someday the moon | 60 Minutes
Summary
TLDRIcon, an Austin-based company, is revolutionizing construction with 3D printing technology that builds homes layer by layer using concrete. Founded by Jason Ballard, Icon aims to create affordable housing and sustainable structures. The company has printed homes for the homeless and is partnering with NASA to develop 3D printing on the moon, using lunar regolith. Icon's technology promises to transform construction, making it faster, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Takeaways
- π Icon, a Texas-based company, is revolutionizing construction by 3D printing entire buildings, including a 100-home community in Austin.
- π οΈ The 3D printing process involves a robotic arm that lays down layers of concrete, similar to an oversized ice cream dispenser, to build house walls.
- π Icon's technology is not only efficient but also aims to create affordable housing, with the potential to address homelessness and ecological issues.
- π Icon has partnered with NASA to explore 3D printing on the moon, using lunar regolith as a building material, which could support long-term human presence.
- π€ The company's 3D printers are controlled by software, showcasing the integration of robotics, advanced materials, and software in innovative construction.
- π‘ Icon's founder, Jason Ballard, was inspired to revolutionize housing after personal experiences with homelessness and natural disasters.
- π‘ The first 3D printed homes were small and elegant, proving the technology's potential beyond just large-scale projects.
- π₯ Icon's 3D printed homes are designed to be more resilient, with properties like being fire, flood, and termite resistant.
- π± The company is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of construction by experimenting with new concrete mixes and more sustainable practices.
- π Icon's long-term vision includes not just terrestrial construction but also expanding to extraterrestrial habitats, with Mars being a potential future project.
Q & A
What is ICON, the company mentioned in the script, known for?
-ICON is known for 3D printing buildings and structures, with the aim of revolutionizing construction methods, creating affordable housing, and potentially contributing to space exploration by colonizing the moon.
How does ICON's 3D printing process work?
-ICON's process involves mixing dry concrete powder with water, sand, and additives, which is then pumped to a robotic printer. The printer lays down the walls of a house one layer at a time, with steel added every 10th layer for strength.
What is unique about the homes printed by ICON?
-ICON's 3D printed homes are unique in their construction method, which is faster and more efficient than traditional building. They also feature curved walls and can be customized in design, offering a more aesthetically pleasing and potentially stronger structure.
What is the significance of the 3D printed houses being built in Austin, Texas?
-The 3D printed houses in Austin represent the world's first large community of 3D printed houses, showcasing ICON's technology and its potential to change the future of housing and construction.
How does ICON's 3D printing technology contribute to sustainability?
-ICON's technology contributes to sustainability by reducing waste, as it prints only what is needed with minimal offcuts. It also aims to use materials that are more eco-friendly and to develop processes that reduce the carbon footprint of construction.
What challenges did ICON face during the development of their 3D printing technology?
-ICON faced challenges such as technical difficulties in getting the printer to work correctly, including issues with the printer's direction and layering. They also faced skepticism from experts who doubted the feasibility of their project.
How does ICON's work align with efforts to address homelessness?
-ICON has partnered with organizations to provide small homes for the homeless, demonstrating the potential of their technology to create affordable and quick housing solutions for those in need.
What is the significance of ICON's partnership with NASA?
-ICON's partnership with NASA is significant as it explores the possibility of using ICON's 3D printing technology to build infrastructure on the moon, such as landing pads and habitats, which could support future space exploration.
What are some of the future applications ICON envisions for its 3D printing technology?
-ICON envisions a future where most buildings are designed by AI, projects are run by software, and almost everything is built by robots. They also see potential for their technology to be used in constructing buildings on Mars.
What is the current status of ICON's 3D printing technology in terms of construction on Earth?
-ICON's technology is currently being used to construct small homes, community centers, and other structures on Earth. They are also experimenting with new designs and materials to further improve their 3D printing capabilities.
How does ICON's founder, Jason Ballard, view the future of construction and housing?
-Jason Ballard sees the future of construction and housing as one that is more abundant, affordable, and beautiful, with technology playing a significant role in designing, managing, and constructing buildings.
Outlines
π 3D Printed Housing Revolution
The script introduces Icon, a Texas-based company revolutionizing construction by 3D printing buildings. Founded by Jason Ballard, Icon is on a mission to create affordable housing and transform the construction industry. The process involves a robotic printer that lays down layers of concrete, similar to an ice cream dispenser, to build the walls of a house. The script also mentions the first 3D printed house, which was completed in Austin and showcases the potential for 3D printing to create affordable, hurricane-resistant, and termite-proof homes.
π From Homelessness to Housing Innovation
Jason Ballard's journey from considering priesthood to founding Icon is detailed, highlighting his passion for sustainable housing. After a hurricane destroyed his hometown, Ballard redirected his focus to revolutionize housing. Icon's early struggles, including a failed initial 3D printer, are discussed, along with the eventual success of printing a small house for Austin's South by Southwest Festival. The company's growth is marked by various projects, including 3D printing homes for the homeless and innovative structures for the military.
π Pioneering 3D Printing on the Moon
The script discusses Icon's collaboration with NASA to develop 3D printing technology for lunar construction. As part of NASA's Artemis program, Icon aims to send a printer to the moon to test printing landing pads and infrastructure. The challenges of using lunar regolith instead of traditional building materials are explored, along with Icon's development of a laser-based 3D printing system to melt regolith into building materials. The script also touches on the potential for this technology to be used on Mars.
π Earth-Independent Construction for Lunar Sustainability
This section delves into the specifics of NASA's interest in 3D printing for lunar construction, emphasizing the need for autonomous building technologies. The script describes the development of Icon's robotic system that uses a high-intensity laser to 3D print with lunar regolith. It also outlines the rigorous testing processes, including withstanding extreme heat, to ensure the printed structures are durable enough for the moon's harsh conditions. The potential for mobile 3D printers to be sent to the moon for constructing roads and habitats is also discussed.
π Visionary Construction: AI, Robotics, and Futuristic Designs
The final paragraph outlines Icon's future ambitions, including reducing the carbon footprint of their concrete and experimenting with more complex architectural designs. The script also discusses Icon's plans for 3D printing round hotel rooms and futuristic homes. Jason Ballard shares his vision of a future where AI designs buildings, software runs projects, and robots construct almost everything, suggesting a significant shift in the construction industry. He emphasizes the importance of believing in and striving for these innovations, despite the challenges and skepticism.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘3D printing
π‘Icon
π‘Affordable housing
π‘Sustainability
π‘Construction technology
π‘Robotics
π‘Lunar construction
π‘Regolith
π‘Autonomous construction
π‘Ecological disaster
π‘Innovation
Highlights
Futurists once predicted that 3D printing would revolutionize our lives.
ICON, a company in Austin, Texas, is 3D printing entire buildings.
ICON's founder, Jason Ballard, envisions 3D printing as a way to create affordable housing.
3D printed houses could potentially be used for lunar colonization.
The process involves a robotic printer laying down concrete layers.
3D printed homes start at a high $400,000 range.
The printing process begins with a mix of concrete powder, water, sand, and additives.
Steel is added every 10th layer for structural strength.
It takes approximately 2 weeks to print a full 160 square foot house.
ICON is working on a community of 100 3D printed houses near Austin.
3D printed walls are more efficient and produce less waste compared to traditional construction.
Jason Ballard's personal journey led him to found ICON after a series of life events.
ICON has received recognition and innovation awards for their work.
ICON has partnered with the military to print vehicle hide structures and barracks.
ICON is developing technology to 3D print with lunar regolith for NASA's Artemis program.
The company is pioneering a new method of 3D printing using lasers to melt regolith.
ICON's technology could be used to build infrastructure on the Moon and Mars.
The company is also focused on reducing the carbon footprint of their concrete.
ICON is experimenting with more radical architectural designs for future projects.
Jason Ballard believes AI and robotics will play a significant role in future construction.
Transcripts
there was a time when futurists were
predicting that the Advent of 3D
printing was going to change our lives
that each of our houses would have a 3D
printer to make whatever items we need
what virtually no unpredicted though was
that there might soon be 3D printers
that could construct almost the entire
house but that's just what a
six-year-old Austin Texas company called
icon is doing 3 printing buildings and
if you believe icon's mission-driven
young founder 3D printing could
revolutionize how we build help create
affordable housing even allow us to wait
for it colonize the moon sound out of
this world take a
look the story will continue in a
moment what you're watching is the
building actually the printing of a
four-bedroom
home on this construction site there is
no hammering or sawing just a nozzle
squirting out concrete kind of like an
oversized soft serve ice cream dispenser
laying down the walls of a house one
layer at a time it's the brainchild of a
41-year-old Texan who's rarely without
his cowboy hat Jason Ballard 3D printing
a house yes ma'am people are going to
hear that and say no we're sitting
inside one right now this house was
printed yes ma'am wow here you are look
at this welcome and so was this one does
a concrete home printed by a robot have
to look cold and
Industrial maybe not I like the curved
wall Ballard gave us a Peak at the first
completed model home and what will soon
be the world's first large community of
3D printed houses a hundred of them part
of a huge new development north of
Austin they'll start in the high
$400,000
range how exactly does 3D printing a
house Work Well it starts with this 1
and 1/2 ton sack of dry concrete powder
which gets mixed with water sand and
additives and is then pumped to the
robotic printer now you are looking at
how we control the beat size Connor
Jenkins icon's manager of construction
here explained that the printer
completes one layer called a bead every
30 minutes by which time it's hardened
enough to be ready for the next beat
steel is added every 10th layer for
strength the amount of change you're
making is Tiny it takes about 2 weeks to
print the full 160 beat house Jenkins
gave me the controls an iPad so look
Leslie
that's a little skinny will you press
the plus one real quick aren you worri
you just increased the bead size
incrementally I'd be worried if I were
you but turns out the path is entirely
pre-programmed I couldn't mess it up if
I tried don't tell the people I think
that's the most gorgeous beat I've ever
seen I think this will be the highest
selling
house for now as Jason Ballard showed us
icon is only 3D printing walls with
cutouts for plumbing and electricity
roofs windows and insulation are added
the old-fashioned way by construction
workers he calls it a paradig shift it
really is like a right Brothers moment
for airplanes in how we construct our
housing but why do we need a big shift
like that cuz right now it is too
expensive it falls over in a hurricane
it burns up in a fire it gets eaten by
termites the way you try to make it
affordable is you trim quality on
materials you trim quality on labor the
result is these cookie cutter
developments and like yeah this is not
the world like we are not succeeding
it's something we have to get right on
top of that it's an ecological disaster
and I would certainly say it is
existentially urgent that we shelter
ourselves without ruining the planet we
have to live on fire resistant flood
resistant wind Ballard showed us a
sample of a 3D printed wall beside a
conventionally built one you say it's
faster more efficient yes why do you say
that what you've got let's count the
materials siding one moisture barrier
two sheathing three uh stud four drywall
five and then float tape and texture you
can count that either as one or three
but you've got at least half a dozen
novel steps that have to take place to
deliver an American stick frame wall
system by comparison we need a single
material supply chain delivered by a
robot let's talk about waste yes ma'am
over here at the end of constructing a
home with these materials there are
truckloads and truckloads of waste left
over the studs are going to have offcuts
that go into a waste pile same with
siding same with drial all whereas with
3D printing he says you only print what
you need so in short like if an alien
came down to planet Earth and saw these
two ways of building and said from first
principles which is better the alien
would go Stronger Faster termite
resistant fire resistant like by a mile
this is the best way to build though old
school construction workers May disagree
if Ballard sounds a little like a re up
salesman or a preacher there's a reason
for that he grew up in East Texas a
studious outdoorsy spiritual kid first
in his family to graduate from college
you were thinking about becoming an
Episcopal priest yeah I was almost an
Episcopal priest but along the way I
started just like getting this like itch
about housing not being right so I
studied conservation biology I got
involved in Sustainable Building and I
worked at the local homeless shelter and
so now I'm thinking about homelessness
and I'm working in Sustainable Building
along the way my hometown gets destroyed
by a hurricane and I have to go help my
family pull drywall of their house I
feel like uh life is just putting
housing in front of me right as I've
been like approved to go to Seminary and
so I go to my Bishop the bishop of Texas
Andy Doyle he's still the bishop of
Texas and uh I said what do I do and at
the end he said Jason I want you to
pursue this housing thing like this is
your priesthood this is your vocation
and if doesn't work out the church has
been here for a long time we'll still be
here but that must have turned the
switch for you it did it made it more
than a hobby or a business right it sort
of became a mission he began pursuing
that mission with Evan Lumis a buddy
from Texas A&M who had gone into Finance
as we looked at it like nobody had
Incorporated kind of the Holy Trinity of
innovation to housing which was robotics
Advanced Materials and software so in a
borrowed Warehouse on nights and
weekends and having read everything they
could find about the mechanics of 3D
printing they tried to design a 3D
printer that could make a building how
big was it it was 10 ft by 10 ft by 10
ft so it would have it would have
printed if we had ever got into work
which we did not uh it would have
printed like a 100 foot like
demonstration building they didn't get
it to work but enter Alex Laro a recent
Bor Engineering Graduate who was
tinkering with a similar idea did you
ever actually build anything yeah I did
what was it they printed shed sh doesn't
sound too cool but it was a big
milestone it's a real structure the
three co-founded icon in 2017 and soon
got funding to print a small house to
unveil at Austin's South by Southwest
Festival the following spring they built
a new larger printer that worked and we
got really excited okay Jason where are
we right now we are printing the world's
uh first permited 3D printed house but
the Kinks hadn't quite been worked out
so at one point we ran the printer into
the print to explain that it's supposed
to go up and it went down and then drove
into the house like pushed a bunch of
layers off funny now but not so much at
the time some Engineers folks who were
like helping us sat us down and said
guys it's been a great effort but you're
not going to get there so like why don't
you guys get some rest and we were
basically like get out of here like
that's true anyone who wants to to
finish this home may stay everyone else
needs to leave and the three of you all
agreed on that yeah we knew that we were
on to something and like we this was
like our shot and we weren't going to
miss it Alex they worked around the
clock and made the festival deadline by
just
hours any words for the victory
lot never never never
never give up I stand by those words
yeah sure never give up he showed us the
350 square foot finished house it's a
small little house but it's kind of
elegant well I'll be that's not so bad I
mean I think that's kind of how people
felt about it like better than they
expected and it was easy to
believe well they'll get better that
small little house one icon a lot of
attention an innovation award investors
meetings with the military and with
another Austin innovator Alan Graham who
created a village called Community First
that provide small homes to several
hundred of the formally homeless our
goal was really the most despised
Outcast lost and forgotten of our
community wow average time on the
streets is 9 years average age of death
is 59 it's an absolute Miracle out there
and so when uh we were ready to start
building homes uh one of the first
organizations we reached out to was Alan
Graham so icon 3D printed a welcome
center and then six small houses for
Village residents that's how 73-year-old
Tim Shay who battled heroin addiction
for decades in 2020 became the first
person in this country to live in a 3D
printed home before I saw these houses
in my mind I thought it must be cold
you're shaking cuz you don't think that
no just the opposite you feel embraced
or you
know enveloped people that live that are
in the economic Strat of the men and
women that we serve are going to be the
last people on the planet that are going
to benefit out of new technology and he
wanted to make sure that they were the
first the first person in North America
to live in a 3D printed house was
homeless yeah I isn't that so the years
since have seen tremendous growth for
Icon a new Factory to build more
printers and improve the quality of its
concrete and a facility called printland
to experiment with new designs icon has
printed small homes in rural Mexico
vehicle hide structures for the Marine
Corps huge Barracks for the Army and Air
Force and a deluxe showcase home
featuring wavy walls and curves
that would be prohibitively expensive if
built traditionally but not when
programmed into a 3D printer so in your
minds is your customer a homeless person
or is your customer me there's a trick
here because what our heart wants to do
is to serve the very poor and it's often
been like confusing for people to
understand it's like I thought you guys
were helping homelessness why are you
building that fancy house yeah I would
resign if I was only allowed to build
luxury homes and we would go bankrupt
right now if all we built was 3% margin
homes for homeless people but once this
technology arrives in its full
force um I think it fundamentally
transforms the way we build and not just
on the earth 3D printing on the moon
when we come
back
it has been a staple of Science Fiction
forever humans living and working on the
moon but for NASA that dream is almost
within reach their new Artemis program
plans to return American astronauts to
the moon for the first time in more than
50 years this time not just to visit but
eventually to stay and even use the moon
as a base for exploring Mars and Beyond
but staying on the moon requires
infrastructure landing pads roads
housing and you can't exactly bring 2x4s
and sheetrock on a
spacecraft that's where 3D printing
comes in NASA is partnering with Jason
Ballard's company icon to Pioneer 3D
printing on the
moon the story will continue in a
moment 3 2
1 and liftoff of emis one last fall NASA
launched the first in a series of
Artemis
missions the next with crew on board is
scheduled for next fall and by the end
of the decade an icon printer is
supposed to fly to the moon to test
print part of a landing pad Jason
Ballard who once applied to be an
astronaut but was rejected can't wait if
the schedule holds or even approximately
holds the first object ever built on
another world will be built with icon
Hardware he wants icon to be the first
company to make something on another
world so do we at Marshall space flight
center in Huntsville Alabama NASA
scientists Jennifer Edmonson and corki
Clinton run a program called impact
spelled mm p a c Moon tomorrows planet
are autonomous Construction
Technologies who you people at Nasa you
come up with these very very long names
that's why we call it impact the key
word there is autonomous we want to be
able to make structures that we need
without having to be tended by
astronauts if you're going to have a
truly sustainable presence on the lunar
surface you have to be as Earth
independent as possible NASA was
interested in 3D printing having looked
at an early version almost 20 years ago
so when they heard about the progress
icon had made with their first houses in
Austin corki Clinton traveled there to
take a look being an engineer I spent a
lot of my time going around and looking
at the size of the beads and how they
went around the corners and I'll tell
you I was really impressed with what
they had
accomplished impressed enough that NASA
gave icon development money in 2020 and
then last fall a 50 7 million contract
welcome to space lab lesie this is where
we figure out how to build on other
worlds Ballard and Evan Jensen who leads
the project explained the fundamental
challenge to bring an object roughly
this size from Earth to the Moon surface
would be $1 million and think of how
many sort of brick-sized things we would
need to do Launchpad landing pads roads
habitats so we have to learn to live off
the land you have to learn to build it
there and use materials from this that's
right but that's no easy feet it means
using what's called lunar regolith which
covers the moon surface rather than
concrete and water as a building
material regali is made up of rock that
has been pummeled over billions of years
from asteroids comets and things is it
like sand it's actually finer than sand
icon has a big tub full of simulated
Moon regolith and they have invented and
built a robotic system to 3D print with
it you're going to build all those roads
and buildings out of this that's correct
to the robots will this is actually the
mission that we are scheduled to fly as
he pointed out in this rendering our
robotic arm with our laser system
they've created a whole new way to 3D
print with lasers instead of a nozzle
squirting out soft concrete a
high-intensity laser beam will melt melt
the powdery regolith to transform it
into a hard strong Building Material
they're running experiments Now using
the laser to create a small sample once
that red light is on we're hot oh lots
of power here we go here we go we
watched on monitors as the arm got into
position there's the laser oh that white
thing's the laser so it's melting right
now it's going up to say 1500Β° Celsius
it's going to complete its second pass
you can see it emerging there see the
dark object on the screen that's the
object we just made with the laser they
can add more regolith and Laser again
and again to build in layers to go as
high as they want which will be done
remotely from Earth it takes hours to
cool so they showed me a sample they'd
made days earlier this is pretty darn
hard that's our Landing Pad you're
holding it yeah I'm holding The Landing
Pad that's exactly right it's pretty
cool that's a scientific term icon sends
them to NASA where they're blasted with
this special plasma torch the torch will
be about 4,000 de to see if they can
take the heat a landing pad would have
to
withstand see there oh there it is the
torch is so bright you have to watch on
a
monitor
that was it a few minutes later out it
came oh it's just a little bit warm it
looks good to me I don't see any loss of
material I don't see any cratering it
survived the test pass the test with
flying colors the next test will be
operating the entire robotic arm and
Laser we put in a large scale simulant
Bed inside NASA's giant ther vacuum
chamber which mimics the moon's extreme
cold heat and vacuum conditions this is
sort of like a Ballard's idea is to
eventually send mobile 3D printers to
the moon so this moves the printer
around with a longer robotic arm
sticking out of the top to print
whatever is needed and then they would
build the road and then they would build
those habitats right it's and it
wouldn't stop there if we can do it on
the moon we can do it on Mars and the
Moon is actually harder it's harder Mars
is uh almost in every way easier except
for it so far away easier they agree
because for one thing Mars doesn't have
extreme temperature swings still in my
mind it's science fiction but in your
minds it's absolutely in the palm of
your hand it's going to happen we can
see the steps in the technology to get
us there now that's thrilling it's
exciting quality can't go backwards in
Block four icon says trying to 3D print
on the moon and Mars is helping with
their work here on Earth they are
formulating new mixes to reduce the
carbon footprint of their concrete we
think we'll be there by end of year and
they're trying out more radical
architecture quite complex shapes and
geometri almost looks like ripples on
the surface of water patterned walls
it's very subtle oh look at this yeah it
almost looks impossible and next year as
in these renderings they'll be printing
round hotel rooms in Marfa Texas and
futuristic looking designer homes you
see a bedroom on that end with a shower
and a bedroom here and here's some
renderings of the Interior wow right it
gets you going doesn't it we're living
at a time right now where a lot of CEOs
have been caught over promising hyping
um thinking of Theos you're absolutely
right and it it it's it's it's a tougher
thing than you know because part of the
job is to get your investors get your
team and in our case the world um to
believe the things you are saying except
the things you are saying don't exist
yet uh you need you need to get them to
believe so it's hard to
know like even in this interview I
actually haven't yet told you all the
things I believe we're going to do
because I'm like measuring myself give
us one
example something wild I mean in the
future I
think most buildings will be designed by
AI most projects will be run by software
and almost everything will be built by
robots and I don't think that's that far
away I at my age find that very
depressing but I'm sure young people
that world housing will be more abundant
more affordable more beautiful it will
make this version of housing look
depressing by example you know that
expression if it seems too good to be
true it is
or I do know that
expression uh but cars and airplanes and
moon landing seem too good to be true
for a moment as well and so like maybe
the only proof I can give you is like
I'm betting my life on it like I have
this one precious Life to Live and I'm
using it to do this and if I could think
of a better way I'd be doing that
instead or I'd go fishing like this is
so hard and you like fishing and I love
fishing
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