Students from Barcelona's Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia have built a robotic 3D printer that creates architectural structures from sand or soil (+ movie).

Above: visualisation is by the designers

Anna Kulik, Inder Shergill and Petr Novikov suggest that the technology could be used to build temporary canopies or bridges, as pictured.

Above: visualisation is by the designers

The Stone Spray robot sprays the grains of sand or soil out of one nozzle and glue out of another to make a mixture that solidifies as it hits a surface.

Unlike other 3D printers, the robot's arm moves multi-directionally and can also print onto vertical surfaces.

Novikov will present the project at the 3D Printing Event in Eindhoven on 23 October 2012.

You can also enter our competition to win a weekend pass to the 3D Print Show in London, which takes place between 19 and 21 October 2012.

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Here's some more information from the designers:

Stone Spray is a research project by Anna Kulik, Inder Shergill and Petr Novikov, under the supervision of Marta Malé-Alemany, Jordi Portell and Miquel Lloveras of IAAC.

Stone Spray is a robotic 3D printer that produces architecture out of soil. The team's research was focused on the field of additive manufacturing in architecture, finding means of proposing new eco-friendly, efficient and innovative systems to print architecture in 3D.

The mechanised device collects dirt/sand on site and then sprays it from a nozzle in combination with a binder component. When this mixture hits the surface it solidifies to create sculptural forms.

Because the movements of the robot are digitally controlled by computer, the designer has direct input on the resulting shape. Unlike other 3D printers, the Stone Spray robot can print multi-directionally, even on vertical surfaces.