As reported by Engadget on Monday, February 8, 2021.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Calculator Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have created a system that builds fully functional Drones, robots and other electronic devices on its own. As the name implies, LaserFactory is built around a laser cutting machine and is divided into two parts, including a software package for designing the devices and the machines that bring them to Life.
Users can design devices using components from a database, add circuit traces (i.e. wires on a circuit board) and make some adjustments using a 2D editor. Once satisfied with the creation, the software sends instructions to the LaserFactory hardware. In addition to the laser cutter, the system includes equipment that prints the circuits and puts the components together.
LaserFactory cuts out the desired shape, adds silver wire to the circuit alignment, places the components and cures the silver to complete the device, and it’s ready to use. As seen in the cool CSAIL video showing the system, the LaserFactory is ready to take off once the drone is built.
MIT points out that LaserFactory has a wide range of possible uses, such as the ability to build more drones quickly for search and rescue operations or deliveries. Designers and manufacturers can use it to quickly prototype electronics such as wearables because it can create foldable structures.
The researchers plan to refine LaserFactory by improving the quality and fidelity of circuit traces so that the system can build more complex, dense devices. The team also plans to investigate ways to extend LaserFactory to create more three-dimensional shapes, perhaps through the use of a 3D printer.
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