Test printing a two-story house

A robotic device designed to build a single house much like a computer printer might will be put to the test this spring, according to its creator Berok Khoshnevis, engineering professor at the University of Southern California.

His company, Contour Crafting, has created a layered fabrication technology that squirts materials like concrete, and thereby automates the construction of structures like a single home. It can even embed channels for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning in each house.

According to a story in Livescience, Khoshnevis said: "The goal is to be able to completely construct a one-story, 2000-square foot home on site, in one day and without using human hands."

The test is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles sometime "before summer," Khoshnevis said.