Charlotte robot promises eco-safe home building on Earth & Moon

Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology have announced the development of Charlotte, a new robot designed to build infrastructure on both the Moon and on Earth.

The project is backed by the NSW Space+ Programme, which is funded by the New South Wales Government and delivered by SmartSat CRC. Charlotte combines robotics with advanced raw material handling to address terrestrial housing challenges and contribute to the infrastructure needed for lunar exploration and research.

Robotics for Earth and space

Dr Clyde Webster, Founding Director of Crest Robotics, explained the approach behind Charlotte's design and its relevance for both Earth-based and lunar construction.

"Crest Robotics was founded to improve safety, productivity, and cost-effectiveness of the blue-collar workforce, addressing critical labour and productivity crises in sectors including construction and energy. These principles underpin Charlotte, which is designed to take the heavy lifting out of building construction, both here and on the Moon, where the technology is being considered for its high sustainability and suitability for the lunar environment."

Dr Webster elaborated on the distinct requirements for constructing lunar bases, noting:

"Building a lunar base is no small feat, and it will require different technologies than what we currently use on Earth. Aside from the impracticality of sending heavy hydraulic machinery to the Moon, the conditions on the Moon do not readily facilitate maintenance or robust operations for this type of equipment. Charlotte is a modern approach to machine development, embodying the new 'dynamics' approach to robotic design, yielding machines that are more autonomous, versatile, and efficient, making them perfect for space exploration and fast construction," explained Dr Webster.

According to the companies, Charlotte, when paired with the Earthbuilt extrusion and compaction technology, can autonomously assemble a standard 200m² Australian home in a single day with no carbon output. The process is carried out by converting local site materials directly into building components, foregoing traditional supply chains and reducing both costs and emissions. The system is reported to achieve construction speeds 1,500 to 5,000 times faster than traditional techniques.

Low-carbon construction technology

Jan Golembiewski, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Earthbuilt Technology, described how the system reuses various available materials as part of its construction methodology.

"Every step of building a home requires human input, which adds costs and carbon. With supply-chains longer and more complex than ever, materials have become increasingly expensive, carbon-intensive and wasteful. Earthbuilt reverses this.

"Making a simple brick, for example, requires around 50 different processes and inputs. By contrast, Earthbuilt's technology uses only three: earth, fibre and energy. When integrated with advanced robotics, Charlotte's efficient and lightweight design minimises energy expenditure," explained Golembiewski.

According to Golembiewski, the construction industry is facing severe productivity challenges. He cited figures from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia indicating that the number of dwellings built per worker has declined by 50 percent since the 1970s.

"With productivity declines at a magnitude we haven't seen before, we can address the housing crisis and labour shortage with a revolutionary technology that is clean, efficient, cost-effective and inspired by the Indigenous ways of building dwellings. After demolition, because construction is from raw materials in the surrounding environment, there will be no sign that the structure existed," said Golembiewski.

Potential for lunar and terrestrial sites

The technology is promoted as being both flood and fireproof, suitable for harsh conditions such as those on the lunar surface, and functional in low gravity environments. These features, according to the companies, extend Charlotte's possible applications beyond Australian housing to extraterrestrial habitats.

"Together with our partner Crest Robotics, we're calling for collaborators to join us in developing, testing and scaling this new way of building homes that fuses innovations in construction and space technologies to address how we approach the housing crisis here in Australia and around the world while redefining Australia's position in the international space community," added Golembiewski.