ideas in form 2D: printers 3 ways

after exploring my interests through a bit of sci-fi writing at clarke point, i set about brainstorming my domains and wound up settling on closed-loop living systems, space settlement, and digital fabrication. the next step was to start roughing out some more concrete design concepts that filled out some gaps in my brainstorm post-it note swarm. i settled on three ideas:

  • a prehensile 3D printer, a concept for a future-oriented printer effector arm
  • a bamboo-planting robot, which could build structures out of closely-spaced lines of bamboo
  • size-maximized 3D printers, developed to be CNC-cuttable using standard sheets of plywood

these ideas 'take place' in different timeframes, but all have a similar theme: how can we enable ourselves to build new things in creative ways and in new environments?