Exploring Robotic Fabrication Using Stimulated Soil

The concrete industry's significant CO 2 emissions and materia! usage have driven a shift towards sustainable construction, with a renewedfocus on using local materials like soil, now made viablefor modern construction through advancements in roboticfabrication. A key challenge with local soil is enhancing its strengthfor construction. TheMicrobially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation method (MICP), which harnesses bacteria to harden soil, has emerged as a solution. Typically，MICP relies on exogenous bacteria cultivated in controlled environments, a resource-intensive process which is often challenging to apply in natural soil conditions. ThispaperproposesMICP through biostimulation of locally sourced soil bacteria, simplifying theprocess and allowingfor on-site applications. This study explores thepotential ofMICP by stimulation in construction, utilizing advanced roboticfabrication techniques. We aim to reduce the environmentalfootprint of traditional concrete methods and minimize waste while increasing efficiency andprecision using local soil by employing roboticfabrication techniques. Ourfindings are based on strength, mechanical, and performance tests, as well as experiments informative and additive manufacturing of domes, using a custom robotic 3Dprinting extruder in a lab setup. These experiments confirm the feasibility of using local soilfor sustainable construction. The results encourage further research to scale up the manufacturing process and enhance the material's structural strength.