Geographic Information System Pinpoints building targets for robotic housing project

June 9, 2013 - PRLog -- A Florida "Think Tank"  has funded development of a portable factory filled with robotics to "fast build" housing without human labor. Called "QUIKIEHOME", the system is moved to a site, combines materials, and outputs wall, roof and support sections. Originally intended for instant flood housing replacement, the slow release of FEMA and Administration funds has convinced the developers that production of affordable housing on available land between existing development structures is a logical alternative.

Evaluating potential locations to "fast build" using robotic construction techniques is the latest "hot lick" for determining where affordable housing should be placed. A Florida firm that acts as a technical catalyst accessed land surveying, remote sensing, cartography, and geographic information system data as a means of projecting where high density building projects could be placed between existing development buildings. The project is tied to the development of a portable robotic factory which can produce residential structures using a mixture of aromatic copolymer, steel mesh, and concrete aggregate that can turn an empty unimproved land mass into houses at an alarmingly fast rate.

Called "QUIKIEHOME CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY", the process delivers a string of structures using common walls at such a rapid pace that it can convert unused land masses between existing residential construction locations in weeks compared to the 6 month time period required for each "stick built" home.  

No pipe dream, a demonstration in Texas produced a 1500 square foot 3 bedroom/2 bath structure in 14 days (although the shell required several additional weeks for interior completion). The robotics not only produces the walls and roof sections but installs utility lines for water and power at the same time.

Rather than searching for unimproved "small footprint" land adjacent to developments, the technology staff used satellite and other data to suggest likely targets. "We could have simply had the mainframe system source the data and produce a shopping list", explained Michael Shulman, Chairman of the nonprofit (EGI) "but we wanted to have a human factor review things and provide the decision process since we were looking at 50 states for the most likely targets. There is no available data that pinpoints unused land in existing developments so using geospatial technology provided us with the perfect solution".

The first site identified, a golf course community that completed its adjoining residential build out leaving available "green" spaces has already entered into talks with the robotic platform maker for a large number of 700 square foot structures.

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