Scientists have recently developed a method to 3D-print greener buildings using local soil that they say has the potential to revolutionise the construction industry.

Sarbajit Banerjee, a professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering at Texas A&M University, said 3D printing enabled a versatility that allowed them to print entire architectural facades, although getting such structures to meet existing building regulations remained a significant challenge.

Concrete remains the primary material used in many construction projects but it cannot be recycled and requires a lot of energy to mix and transport. The research team's aim is to print structures using the type of soil that can be found in any garden.

“While the wndespread use of concrete has widespread access to housing and enabled the growth of cities, this has come at a considerable environmental cost,” said Banerjee.

“The move to 3D-print concrete threatens to exacerbate this problem. However, we envision a new example of construction that uses naturally sourced materials. Using such materials will further pave the way for building designs that are specifically adapted to the needs of the local climate.

What's more, the use of local materials would reduce the need to transport concrete long distances, further reducing the environmental impact of the buildings.

The research team's plan to replace concrete with the earth beneath our feet depends on their ability to improve the soil's capability to stand the weight of the whole house, to which Banerjee said they “are making excellent progress”.

Once they have a clearer idea of the limits of the technology, Banerjee and his team plan to further investigate how it might allow for building on other planets. For instance, they have worked on addressing the problem of building all-weather roads in the subarctic. They hope the technology could one day be used beyond Earth, to create settlements on the moon or even Mars.

There are many reasons to skip deep-fried fast food, one of which is the challenge of dealing with used cooking oil. But researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered amusing method of transforming this useless waste product into an affordable plastic ink for 3D printers. And there’s more good news! The ink can breakdown naturally, unlike conventional 3D printing resins (树脂).

Professor Andre Simpson is director of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. He first became interested in the idea when he got a 3D printer around three years ago. After noticing that the molecules (分子) used in commercial resins resembled fats found in cooking oil, he wondered whether such a molecule could be created using waste cooking oil.

Using old cooking oil from a local McDonalds restaurant close to a campus, Professor Simpson and his research team applied a one-step chemical process in the lab, using about one liter of used cooking oil to make just under half of that amount in resins. The resin was then used to print a plastic butterfly that was structurally and thermally (热地) stable. This means that it won’t crumble or melt above room temperature.

Speaking to Goodnet, Professor Simpson outlined his high hopes for the creative and cheaper route to recycling that waste cooking oil: “Normally 3D printing resins come from fossil fuels, but by recycling used cooking oil into a high value product, we hope it will reduce the financial barriers, which should be a win-win for the environment.

Professor Simpson is also excited that the new lower cost of this 3D printing material will open up access to the near-limitless creative opportunities. “We hope that as the resin can be made very cheaply, it could reduce the 3D printing cost, so the technology is available to everyone,” he explains.

Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an old person company and helps him remember to take medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a 3-million-dollar award from the National Science Foundation for the special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or AI, to Hasbro's “Joy for All” robot.

The cat has already been on sale for several years. Though priced at over 1,000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion” for old people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers at Brown's Humanity Centered Robotics Initiative are working to decide which activities old adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include finding lost objects and reminding the person to take medicine or to see a doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.

It is an idea that has appealed to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia. The “Joy for All” cat that Elliott bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her calm while Elliott is at work. Elliott said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.

The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between humans and the cat in which humans feel the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.