3D printing homes on Earth, someday the moon | 60 Minutes

60 Minutes
11 Oct 202322:27

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

  • 🏠 Icon, a Texas-based company, is revolutionizing construction by 3D printing entire buildings, including a 100-home community in Austin.
  • πŸ› 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.
  • 🌐 Icon's technology is not only efficient but also aims to create affordable housing, with the potential to address homelessness and ecological issues.
  • πŸš€ 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.
  • πŸ€– The company's 3D printers are controlled by software, showcasing the integration of robotics, advanced materials, and software in innovative construction.
  • πŸ’‘ Icon's founder, Jason Ballard, was inspired to revolutionize housing after personal experiences with homelessness and natural disasters.
  • 🏑 The first 3D printed homes were small and elegant, proving the technology's potential beyond just large-scale projects.
  • πŸ”₯ Icon's 3D printed homes are designed to be more resilient, with properties like being fire, flood, and termite resistant.
  • 🌱 The company is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of construction by experimenting with new concrete mixes and more sustainable practices.
  • 🌐 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

00:00

🏠 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.

05:01

πŸš€ 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.

10:02

πŸŒ• 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.

15:03

🌍 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.

20:03

🌌 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

πŸ’‘3D printing

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process of creating three-dimensional objects from a digital file by laying down successive layers of material. In the context of the video, 3D printing is revolutionizing the construction industry by enabling the creation of buildings and structures with precision and efficiency. The video showcases how Icon, a company based in Austin, Texas, is using 3D printing technology to construct houses, which is a significant departure from traditional building methods.

πŸ’‘Icon

Icon is a six-year-old Austin, Texas-based company featured in the video that specializes in 3D printing construction. Founded by Jason Ballard, Icon is on a mission to revolutionize the building industry by using 3D printing technology to create affordable, resilient, and sustainable housing. The company has already printed homes and is working on larger projects, including a community of 3D printed houses and collaborations with NASA for potential lunar construction.

πŸ’‘Affordable housing

Affordable housing refers to residential units that are accessible to low- to moderate-income households without causing a significant financial burden. The video discusses Icon's goal to address the affordable housing crisis by leveraging 3D printing technology to reduce construction costs and time, making homes more accessible to a wider range of people. This aligns with Icon's mission to create a positive social impact through innovative construction methods.

πŸ’‘Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video pertains to Icon's commitment to constructing buildings in an environmentally responsible manner. By using 3D printing, Icon aims to minimize waste, reduce the carbon footprint of construction, and create structures that are energy-efficient. The video highlights how 3D printing can lead to more sustainable building practices, contributing to a reduced ecological impact.

πŸ’‘Construction technology

Construction technology encompasses the tools, materials, and methods used in the building industry. The video focuses on Icon's pioneering use of 3D printing as a construction technology, which allows for the precise placement of materials and the creation of complex architectural designs that may not be feasible with traditional construction methods. This technology is portrayed as a significant advancement in how buildings are constructed.

πŸ’‘Robotics

Robotics involves the design, construction, operation, and use of robots, which are machines capable of carrying out complex tasks with a degree of autonomy. In the video, robotics plays a crucial role in Icon's 3D printing process, where robotic printers lay down layers of material to construct buildings. The integration of robotics into construction is depicted as a key innovation driving the efficiency and precision of 3D printed structures.

πŸ’‘Lunar construction

Lunar construction refers to the building of structures on the moon, a concept explored in the video through Icon's partnership with NASA. The video discusses the potential for 3D printing technology to be used on the moon, leveraging the moon's regolith as a building material. This would enable the creation of habitats, landing pads, and other infrastructure necessary for human settlement on the lunar surface.

πŸ’‘Regolith

Regolith is the layer of loose, fragmented rock, soil, and dust that covers solid rock on planetary bodies like the moon. In the video, Icon is experimenting with 3D printing using simulated lunar regolith, aiming to develop a process that could be used to construct buildings on the moon. This involves using a high-intensity laser to melt the regolith into a hard, building material, showcasing a novel approach to lunar construction.

πŸ’‘Autonomous construction

Autonomous construction is the concept of building structures with minimal human intervention, often through the use of robotics and automation. The video mentions NASA's interest in autonomous construction technologies for lunar habitats, which would allow for the construction of infrastructure without the need for direct astronaut involvement. This aligns with the broader theme of advancing construction methods through technology.

πŸ’‘Ecological disaster

An ecological disaster refers to a catastrophic event that causes extensive damage to the environment. The video touches on the ecological impact of traditional construction methods and Icon's mission to mitigate this by adopting more sustainable practices. The term is used to emphasize the urgency of finding environmentally friendly construction solutions, such as those offered by 3D printing.

πŸ’‘Innovation

Innovation in the video refers to the introduction of new ideas, devices, or methods. Icon's work in 3D printing is portrayed as a significant innovation in the construction industry, disrupting traditional building processes and offering solutions to issues like affordability, sustainability, and the creation of resilient structures. The video highlights innovation as a driving force behind the company's mission and its potential impact on future construction.

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

play00:01

there was a time when futurists were

play00:03

predicting that the Advent of 3D

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printing was going to change our lives

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that each of our houses would have a 3D

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printer to make whatever items we need

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what virtually no unpredicted though was

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that there might soon be 3D printers

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that could construct almost the entire

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house but that's just what a

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six-year-old Austin Texas company called

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icon is doing 3 printing buildings and

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if you believe icon's mission-driven

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young founder 3D printing could

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revolutionize how we build help create

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affordable housing even allow us to wait

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for it colonize the moon sound out of

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this world take a

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look the story will continue in a

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moment what you're watching is the

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building actually the printing of a

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four-bedroom

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home on this construction site there is

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no hammering or sawing just a nozzle

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squirting out concrete kind of like an

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oversized soft serve ice cream dispenser

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laying down the walls of a house one

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layer at a time it's the brainchild of a

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41-year-old Texan who's rarely without

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his cowboy hat Jason Ballard 3D printing

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a house yes ma'am people are going to

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hear that and say no we're sitting

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inside one right now this house was

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printed yes ma'am wow here you are look

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at this welcome and so was this one does

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a concrete home printed by a robot have

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to look cold and

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Industrial maybe not I like the curved

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wall Ballard gave us a Peak at the first

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completed model home and what will soon

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be the world's first large community of

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3D printed houses a hundred of them part

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of a huge new development north of

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Austin they'll start in the high

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$400,000

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range how exactly does 3D printing a

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house Work Well it starts with this 1

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and 1/2 ton sack of dry concrete powder

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which gets mixed with water sand and

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additives and is then pumped to the

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robotic printer now you are looking at

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how we control the beat size Connor

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Jenkins icon's manager of construction

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here explained that the printer

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completes one layer called a bead every

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30 minutes by which time it's hardened

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enough to be ready for the next beat

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steel is added every 10th layer for

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strength the amount of change you're

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making is Tiny it takes about 2 weeks to

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print the full 160 beat house Jenkins

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gave me the controls an iPad so look

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Leslie

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that's a little skinny will you press

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the plus one real quick aren you worri

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you just increased the bead size

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incrementally I'd be worried if I were

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you but turns out the path is entirely

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pre-programmed I couldn't mess it up if

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I tried don't tell the people I think

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that's the most gorgeous beat I've ever

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seen I think this will be the highest

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selling

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house for now as Jason Ballard showed us

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icon is only 3D printing walls with

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cutouts for plumbing and electricity

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roofs windows and insulation are added

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the old-fashioned way by construction

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workers he calls it a paradig shift it

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really is like a right Brothers moment

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for airplanes in how we construct our

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housing but why do we need a big shift

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like that cuz right now it is too

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expensive it falls over in a hurricane

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it burns up in a fire it gets eaten by

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termites the way you try to make it

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affordable is you trim quality on

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materials you trim quality on labor the

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result is these cookie cutter

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developments and like yeah this is not

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the world like we are not succeeding

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it's something we have to get right on

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top of that it's an ecological disaster

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and I would certainly say it is

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existentially urgent that we shelter

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ourselves without ruining the planet we

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have to live on fire resistant flood

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resistant wind Ballard showed us a

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sample of a 3D printed wall beside a

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conventionally built one you say it's

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faster more efficient yes why do you say

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that what you've got let's count the

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materials siding one moisture barrier

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two sheathing three uh stud four drywall

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five and then float tape and texture you

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can count that either as one or three

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but you've got at least half a dozen

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novel steps that have to take place to

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deliver an American stick frame wall

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system by comparison we need a single

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material supply chain delivered by a

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robot let's talk about waste yes ma'am

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over here at the end of constructing a

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home with these materials there are

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truckloads and truckloads of waste left

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over the studs are going to have offcuts

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that go into a waste pile same with

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siding same with drial all whereas with

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3D printing he says you only print what

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you need so in short like if an alien

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came down to planet Earth and saw these

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two ways of building and said from first

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principles which is better the alien

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would go Stronger Faster termite

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resistant fire resistant like by a mile

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this is the best way to build though old

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school construction workers May disagree

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if Ballard sounds a little like a re up

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salesman or a preacher there's a reason

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for that he grew up in East Texas a

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studious outdoorsy spiritual kid first

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in his family to graduate from college

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you were thinking about becoming an

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Episcopal priest yeah I was almost an

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Episcopal priest but along the way I

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started just like getting this like itch

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about housing not being right so I

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studied conservation biology I got

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involved in Sustainable Building and I

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worked at the local homeless shelter and

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so now I'm thinking about homelessness

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and I'm working in Sustainable Building

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along the way my hometown gets destroyed

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by a hurricane and I have to go help my

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family pull drywall of their house I

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feel like uh life is just putting

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housing in front of me right as I've

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been like approved to go to Seminary and

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so I go to my Bishop the bishop of Texas

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Andy Doyle he's still the bishop of

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Texas and uh I said what do I do and at

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the end he said Jason I want you to

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pursue this housing thing like this is

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your priesthood this is your vocation

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and if doesn't work out the church has

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been here for a long time we'll still be

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here but that must have turned the

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switch for you it did it made it more

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than a hobby or a business right it sort

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of became a mission he began pursuing

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that mission with Evan Lumis a buddy

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from Texas A&M who had gone into Finance

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as we looked at it like nobody had

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Incorporated kind of the Holy Trinity of

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innovation to housing which was robotics

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Advanced Materials and software so in a

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borrowed Warehouse on nights and

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weekends and having read everything they

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could find about the mechanics of 3D

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printing they tried to design a 3D

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printer that could make a building how

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big was it it was 10 ft by 10 ft by 10

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ft so it would have it would have

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printed if we had ever got into work

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which we did not uh it would have

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printed like a 100 foot like

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demonstration building they didn't get

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it to work but enter Alex Laro a recent

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Bor Engineering Graduate who was

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tinkering with a similar idea did you

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ever actually build anything yeah I did

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what was it they printed shed sh doesn't

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sound too cool but it was a big

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milestone it's a real structure the

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three co-founded icon in 2017 and soon

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got funding to print a small house to

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unveil at Austin's South by Southwest

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Festival the following spring they built

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a new larger printer that worked and we

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got really excited okay Jason where are

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we right now we are printing the world's

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uh first permited 3D printed house but

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the Kinks hadn't quite been worked out

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so at one point we ran the printer into

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the print to explain that it's supposed

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to go up and it went down and then drove

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into the house like pushed a bunch of

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layers off funny now but not so much at

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the time some Engineers folks who were

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like helping us sat us down and said

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guys it's been a great effort but you're

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not going to get there so like why don't

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you guys get some rest and we were

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basically like get out of here like

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that's true anyone who wants to to

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finish this home may stay everyone else

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needs to leave and the three of you all

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agreed on that yeah we knew that we were

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on to something and like we this was

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like our shot and we weren't going to

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miss it Alex they worked around the

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clock and made the festival deadline by

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just

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hours any words for the victory

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lot never never never

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never give up I stand by those words

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yeah sure never give up he showed us the

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350 square foot finished house it's a

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small little house but it's kind of

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elegant well I'll be that's not so bad I

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mean I think that's kind of how people

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felt about it like better than they

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expected and it was easy to

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believe well they'll get better that

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small little house one icon a lot of

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attention an innovation award investors

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meetings with the military and with

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another Austin innovator Alan Graham who

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created a village called Community First

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that provide small homes to several

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hundred of the formally homeless our

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goal was really the most despised

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Outcast lost and forgotten of our

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community wow average time on the

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streets is 9 years average age of death

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is 59 it's an absolute Miracle out there

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and so when uh we were ready to start

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building homes uh one of the first

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organizations we reached out to was Alan

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Graham so icon 3D printed a welcome

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center and then six small houses for

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Village residents that's how 73-year-old

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Tim Shay who battled heroin addiction

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for decades in 2020 became the first

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person in this country to live in a 3D

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printed home before I saw these houses

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in my mind I thought it must be cold

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you're shaking cuz you don't think that

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no just the opposite you feel embraced

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or you

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know enveloped people that live that are

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in the economic Strat of the men and

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women that we serve are going to be the

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last people on the planet that are going

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to benefit out of new technology and he

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wanted to make sure that they were the

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first the first person in North America

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to live in a 3D printed house was

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homeless yeah I isn't that so the years

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since have seen tremendous growth for

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Icon a new Factory to build more

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printers and improve the quality of its

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concrete and a facility called printland

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to experiment with new designs icon has

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printed small homes in rural Mexico

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vehicle hide structures for the Marine

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Corps huge Barracks for the Army and Air

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Force and a deluxe showcase home

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featuring wavy walls and curves

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that would be prohibitively expensive if

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built traditionally but not when

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programmed into a 3D printer so in your

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minds is your customer a homeless person

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or is your customer me there's a trick

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here because what our heart wants to do

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is to serve the very poor and it's often

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been like confusing for people to

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understand it's like I thought you guys

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were helping homelessness why are you

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building that fancy house yeah I would

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resign if I was only allowed to build

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luxury homes and we would go bankrupt

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right now if all we built was 3% margin

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homes for homeless people but once this

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technology arrives in its full

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force um I think it fundamentally

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transforms the way we build and not just

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on the earth 3D printing on the moon

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when we come

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back

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it has been a staple of Science Fiction

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forever humans living and working on the

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moon but for NASA that dream is almost

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within reach their new Artemis program

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plans to return American astronauts to

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the moon for the first time in more than

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50 years this time not just to visit but

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eventually to stay and even use the moon

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as a base for exploring Mars and Beyond

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but staying on the moon requires

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infrastructure landing pads roads

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housing and you can't exactly bring 2x4s

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and sheetrock on a

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spacecraft that's where 3D printing

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comes in NASA is partnering with Jason

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Ballard's company icon to Pioneer 3D

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printing on the

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moon the story will continue in a

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moment 3 2

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1 and liftoff of emis one last fall NASA

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launched the first in a series of

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Artemis

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missions the next with crew on board is

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scheduled for next fall and by the end

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of the decade an icon printer is

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supposed to fly to the moon to test

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print part of a landing pad Jason

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Ballard who once applied to be an

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astronaut but was rejected can't wait if

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the schedule holds or even approximately

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holds the first object ever built on

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another world will be built with icon

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Hardware he wants icon to be the first

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company to make something on another

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world so do we at Marshall space flight

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center in Huntsville Alabama NASA

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scientists Jennifer Edmonson and corki

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Clinton run a program called impact

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spelled mm p a c Moon tomorrows planet

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are autonomous Construction

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Technologies who you people at Nasa you

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come up with these very very long names

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that's why we call it impact the key

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word there is autonomous we want to be

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able to make structures that we need

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without having to be tended by

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astronauts if you're going to have a

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truly sustainable presence on the lunar

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surface you have to be as Earth

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independent as possible NASA was

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interested in 3D printing having looked

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at an early version almost 20 years ago

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so when they heard about the progress

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icon had made with their first houses in

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Austin corki Clinton traveled there to

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take a look being an engineer I spent a

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lot of my time going around and looking

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at the size of the beads and how they

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went around the corners and I'll tell

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you I was really impressed with what

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they had

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accomplished impressed enough that NASA

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gave icon development money in 2020 and

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then last fall a 50 7 million contract

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welcome to space lab lesie this is where

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we figure out how to build on other

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worlds Ballard and Evan Jensen who leads

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the project explained the fundamental

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challenge to bring an object roughly

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this size from Earth to the Moon surface

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would be $1 million and think of how

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many sort of brick-sized things we would

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need to do Launchpad landing pads roads

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habitats so we have to learn to live off

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the land you have to learn to build it

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there and use materials from this that's

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right but that's no easy feet it means

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using what's called lunar regolith which

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covers the moon surface rather than

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concrete and water as a building

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material regali is made up of rock that

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has been pummeled over billions of years

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from asteroids comets and things is it

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like sand it's actually finer than sand

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icon has a big tub full of simulated

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Moon regolith and they have invented and

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built a robotic system to 3D print with

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it you're going to build all those roads

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and buildings out of this that's correct

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to the robots will this is actually the

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mission that we are scheduled to fly as

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he pointed out in this rendering our

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robotic arm with our laser system

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they've created a whole new way to 3D

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print with lasers instead of a nozzle

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squirting out soft concrete a

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high-intensity laser beam will melt melt

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the powdery regolith to transform it

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into a hard strong Building Material

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they're running experiments Now using

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the laser to create a small sample once

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that red light is on we're hot oh lots

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of power here we go here we go we

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watched on monitors as the arm got into

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position there's the laser oh that white

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thing's the laser so it's melting right

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now it's going up to say 1500Β° Celsius

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it's going to complete its second pass

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you can see it emerging there see the

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dark object on the screen that's the

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object we just made with the laser they

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can add more regolith and Laser again

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and again to build in layers to go as

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high as they want which will be done

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remotely from Earth it takes hours to

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cool so they showed me a sample they'd

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made days earlier this is pretty darn

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hard that's our Landing Pad you're

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holding it yeah I'm holding The Landing

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Pad that's exactly right it's pretty

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cool that's a scientific term icon sends

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them to NASA where they're blasted with

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this special plasma torch the torch will

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be about 4,000 de to see if they can

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take the heat a landing pad would have

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to

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withstand see there oh there it is the

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torch is so bright you have to watch on

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a

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monitor

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that was it a few minutes later out it

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came oh it's just a little bit warm it

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looks good to me I don't see any loss of

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material I don't see any cratering it

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survived the test pass the test with

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flying colors the next test will be

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operating the entire robotic arm and

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Laser we put in a large scale simulant

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Bed inside NASA's giant ther vacuum

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chamber which mimics the moon's extreme

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cold heat and vacuum conditions this is

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sort of like a Ballard's idea is to

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eventually send mobile 3D printers to

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the moon so this moves the printer

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around with a longer robotic arm

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sticking out of the top to print

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whatever is needed and then they would

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build the road and then they would build

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those habitats right it's and it

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wouldn't stop there if we can do it on

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the moon we can do it on Mars and the

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Moon is actually harder it's harder Mars

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is uh almost in every way easier except

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for it so far away easier they agree

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because for one thing Mars doesn't have

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extreme temperature swings still in my

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mind it's science fiction but in your

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minds it's absolutely in the palm of

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your hand it's going to happen we can

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see the steps in the technology to get

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us there now that's thrilling it's

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exciting quality can't go backwards in

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Block four icon says trying to 3D print

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on the moon and Mars is helping with

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their work here on Earth they are

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formulating new mixes to reduce the

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carbon footprint of their concrete we

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think we'll be there by end of year and

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they're trying out more radical

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architecture quite complex shapes and

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geometri almost looks like ripples on

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the surface of water patterned walls

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it's very subtle oh look at this yeah it

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almost looks impossible and next year as

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in these renderings they'll be printing

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round hotel rooms in Marfa Texas and

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futuristic looking designer homes you

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see a bedroom on that end with a shower

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and a bedroom here and here's some

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renderings of the Interior wow right it

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gets you going doesn't it we're living

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at a time right now where a lot of CEOs

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have been caught over promising hyping

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um thinking of Theos you're absolutely

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right and it it it's it's it's a tougher

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thing than you know because part of the

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job is to get your investors get your

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team and in our case the world um to

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believe the things you are saying except

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the things you are saying don't exist

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yet uh you need you need to get them to

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believe so it's hard to

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know like even in this interview I

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actually haven't yet told you all the

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things I believe we're going to do

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because I'm like measuring myself give

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us one

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example something wild I mean in the

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future I

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think most buildings will be designed by

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AI most projects will be run by software

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and almost everything will be built by

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robots and I don't think that's that far

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away I at my age find that very

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depressing but I'm sure young people

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that world housing will be more abundant

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more affordable more beautiful it will

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make this version of housing look

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depressing by example you know that

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expression if it seems too good to be

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true it is

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or I do know that

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expression uh but cars and airplanes and

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moon landing seem too good to be true

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for a moment as well and so like maybe

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the only proof I can give you is like

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I'm betting my life on it like I have

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this one precious Life to Live and I'm

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using it to do this and if I could think

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of a better way I'd be doing that

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instead or I'd go fishing like this is

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so hard and you like fishing and I love

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fishing

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3D PrintingHousing RevolutionSustainable BuildingInnovative TechAffordable HousingMoon ColonizationConstruction TechAustin CompanyEco-FriendlyFuture Homes