In this conversation, we talk with Zach Dwiel, the CEO of Terran Robotics. At Terran Robotics, they're developing drones and artificial intelligence to 3D print homes. We talk about the future of construction, teaching drones to learn, and building new cities.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Zach Dwiel and Terran Robotics
01:29 Rethinking construction around material costs
03:31 Clay, thermal mass and building traditions
05:09 Moving beyond human construction constraints
06:31 Building walls with high-lift drones
07:34 Why choose drones over gantries?
09:30 Tethers, power and energy use
11:12 Design models and adaptive construction
13:33 Learning to control a particular machine
16:27 Why construction needs different flight control
18:40 Precision and industrial drone applications
20:00 Shaping clay with vibration and tamping
21:34 Prototype plans and building codes
22:57 Adoption, price goals and design freedom
25:46 What more affordable housing could unlock
27:03 Funding early work through an NSF grant
29:17 Different paths to research funding
30:26 Finding Terran and closing thoughts
Links
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.
