Skip to main content

DFAB Is the House that Robots (and 3D Printers) Built

DFAB House
DFAB House

Fifty years ago, when folks imagined what the new millennium would bring, things like flying cars, fantastically shaped homes, and robot maids came to mind. Well here we are in the 21st century, and there may not be flying cars, but we do have technology so impressive it’s clear we are living in the future. Nothing illustrates this more perfectly than DFAB House, an entire home designed and built by robots.

Located on the top of NEST as part of the innovations in building program in Dübendorf, Switzerland, DFAB House was created with the help of robots and 3D printers. Planned digitally, the home is intended to demonstrate all of the ways technology can be used throughout residential buildings to optimize sustainability. Thanks to the digital planning, the home was structurally optimized, thus it used less construction materials and generated less waste. Everything from the ceiling to the prefab timber-framed walls was planned and/or built by robots.

It isn’t just the use of robots that makes DFAB such an advanced dwelling. Innovative technology was incorporated in every corner. The home is fully automated, outfitted with voice controls and presets for appliances, window blinds, and the security system. It’s also one of the first homes that was specifically designed to generate more energy than it needs. Using a combination of solar panels and a system that prevents energy load peaks, DFAB produces 1.5 times the electricity that it consumes. There is even a system to capture heat from wastewater to be reused elsewhere.

Recommended Videos

Inside, DFAB has a look all its own to match its unique creation. The internal structure of the timber-framed prefab walls was left exposed and the undulating concrete ceiling was cast using a 3D-printed framework, in both cases providing a rough-and-ready look to the home. And that’s part of the appeal. It’s exciting to get a glimpse at what the robots and printers did to make DFAB House come together. The unfinished look of the walls leaves the space open to the imagination — just about any design style can be incorporated into the home to add a personal touch of coziness and color. Lighting strips embedded into the floor run along the walls, enabling the home to give a futuristic nod to its robot creators.

In a world where cars now drive themselves, food can be ordered by talking to a small cube, and robots are building houses, it seems we humans are only going to become increasingly reliant on A.I. with each passing year. Could this mean artificial intelligence will eventually rule the world? We can’t be sure, but just in case: All hail our robot overlords.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more