Group gets to work on Detroit's first 3D-printed house

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit's first 3D-printed house is in the works.

Construction kicked off Tuesday with a wall printing ceremony.

"Everything we can afford to have in our lives, from our clothes to even food production, is made in part by humans with robots," said Tom Woodman, the executive director of Citizen Robotics. "If we want to make it possible for more people to do it, we to center this working community and show people this is work that they can do for themselves."

Citizen Robotics is a nonprofit which seeks to reduce the cost of housing construction through the use of 3D technology and robots.

One of the goals is to make housing more attainable. Projects like this also allow young trainees a chance to get involved with the process.

"It's just more efficient to do a lot of these things. How can we coordinate, how can we innovate –  that's what the young folks, that's what I'm here to do figure out how we can do this better," said Bryan Cook, with Citizen Robotics.

Compared to traditional builds, 3D-printed houses have lower construction costs and nearly zero waste.

"This is nothing but an opportunity for young and seasoned folks to come and do something innovative and different that's going to really disrupt the construction field," Cook said.

No timetable was given for the completion of the house.