Teams of drones can print in 3D

Certain creatures—namely, wasps and bees—have evolved to be adept flying builders. To assemble a hive or nest, worker insects team up to deposit wax, raw wood pulp or their own saliva to the specification of a complex design that ends up being many times their size. This process takes months, many times longer than the average lifespan of all but the queen. The insects must adjust as they go—building plans can change, imperfect materials can deform or break, workers can die.

It is these insect building teams that inspired Mirko Kovac, a roboticist at Imperial College London, to develop a way to improve the flexibility of 3d printing. A typical 3d printer is limited by the range of its nozzle, and can only make objects smaller than itself. Dr Kovac’s team has removed these constraints by giving the printer nozzle wings.