Building the Future: 3D Printing Lunar Habitats
Dr. Clyde Webster from Crest Robotics explains how autonomous robots like “Charlotte” will use lunar dirt to construct shelters, paving the way for sustainable human life on the Moon. By using local materials and innovative 3D printing techniques, his team is solving the massive challenge of constructing safe habitats on the Moon before humans even arrive.
[00:00:10] Dr. Clyde Webster is a lead product designer working on a revolutionary method for constructing houses and shelters on the Moon. His team is preparing to demonstrate their technology at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney.
Regolith: The Building Block of the Moon
[00:00:23] The core of this construction method involves regolith—the sharp, brittle dirt found on the lunar surface. Instead of using complex binding agents or melting rock with lasers, Dr. Webster’s team uses a “low-tech” but highly efficient approach: they pack regolith into bags and squish them down to form thick, protective layers.
[00:03:56] Finding the right level of compression is critical. While regolith can be compressed almost to 100%, a perfectly hard structure might snap easily under pressure. By keeping the layers slightly flexible—similar to cooked spaghetti—the building can absorb vibrations and impacts from micrometeorites more effectively [00:04:14].
Meet Charlotte: The Six-Legged Builder
[00:00:54] To do the heavy lifting, Crest Robotics is developing **Charlotte**, a large six-legged robot. Standing about 1.8 meters tall, Charlotte is designed to walk around the lunar surface, stepping over walls and climbing on top of structures to place the final layers of a dome. This dynamic approach replaces the need for giant, static 3D printing gantries.
[00:02:00] The robot’s leg alone is roughly person-height. The goal is to have Charlotte and other robots arrive on the Moon well ahead of humans to set up a safe, ready-to-use living space.
From Moon Shelters to Sustainable Earth Homes
[00:11:00] The technology used on the Moon has a “dual-use” benefit for Earth. The “hyper-adobe” bagging technique is a sustainable, low-carbon building method that could allow us to construct residential houses using just sand and clay instead of concrete. Robotics makes this possible by replacing the backbreaking, cost-prohibitive manual labor usually required for such builds.
[00:12:30] This technology is already being applied in Australia. Crest Robotics has designed specialized rovers for TransGrid to drive along high-voltage power lines, using the same mechanics developed for lunar rovers to overcome obstacles and pull heavy loads.
Career Advice: Become a “Doer”
[00:07:08] Dr. Webster originally wanted to be a musician before discovering a passion for **Mechatronic Engineering**—a combination of mechanical, electrical, and software systems. His advice to students is to focus on becoming a “doer.” While degrees are important, people who know how to fix and build things with their hands are vital for remote missions.
[00:15:50] “In 5 to 10 years, robotics operation is going to be its own job,” says Dr. Webster. He predicts a growing need for **robotics technicians** and even **space mechanics** on the Moon to maintain and repair the machines building our lunar future.
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