Technology
This 3D-printed Texas hotel is shaking up the construction industry
Something really cool is happening in the heart of Texas.
Marfa, that quirky little town known for its art scene, is about to become home to the world’s first 3D-printed hotel.
El Cosmico, a popular campground, is expanding with 43 new hotel rooms and 18 homes, all built by a massive 3D printer.
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3D-printed hotel (Icon)
A new era in hotel design
This isn’t your average boxy hotel. We’re talking curvy walls, domes and wild shapes that would cost a fortune with traditional building methods. The owner, Liz Lambert, is teaming up with a 3D printing company called Icon and some top-notch architects to make this dream a reality.
3D-printed hotel (Icon)
The technology behind the magic
They’re using a special cement mix called Lavacrete, pumped out by a giant robot arm. It’s like a huge, high-tech Play-Doh machine for buildings. The Vulcan, Icon’s massive 3D printer, stands 15½ feet tall and weighs 4.75 tons, capable of creating structures with 12-foot-high curving walls.
3D-printer giant robot arm (Icon)
3D PRINTER CONSTRUCTS STUNNING DATA CENTER HANDS-FREE IN 140 HOURS
Construction in progress
The first rooms are already under construction, and the whole shebang should be ready by 2026. Imagine telling your friends you stayed in a 3D-printed hotel room in the Lone Star State. Now that’s a vacation story.
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3D-printed hotel (Icon)
LEGO-LIKE CONSTRUCTION BLOCKS MADE FROM PLASTIC WASTE CAN STAND UP TO NATURE’S FURY
More than just a hotel
This project isn’t just about creating a unique hotel experience. It’s also addressing local housing needs. Additional 3D-printed affordable housing units will be built in Marfa, showcasing designs from Icon’s global architecture competition.
3D-printed hotel (Icon)
The visionaries behind the project
Liz Lambert, the creative force behind El Cosmico, sees this as a realization of a longtime dream. She emphasizes the project’s potential to create economic opportunities and contribute to Marfa’s cultural fabric.
Jason Ballard, Icon’s CEO, highlights the personal significance of the project, given his connection to West Texas.
Bjarke Ingels, founder of Bjarke Ingels Group, describes the design as a dialogue between El Cosmico’s past and future, emphasizing how the 3D-printed structures seem to emerge from the very land they stand on.
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The team behind the 3D-printed hotel in Texas (Icon)
Kurt’s key takeaways
The El Cosmico expansion represents a groundbreaking fusion of technology, architecture and hospitality. By harnessing the power of 3D printing, this project is not only pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in hotel design but also paving the way for more sustainable and innovative construction methods. As we look to the future of architecture and travel, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel in Marfa, Texas, stands as a testament to human creativity and technological advancement.
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Technology
Apple just had a record-breaking iPhone quarter
Apple says the iPhone had its “best-ever” quarter, with revenue hitting more than $85.3 billion over the past few months. The company announced the news as part of its Q1 2026 earnings report, which also revealed record-breaking revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent when compared to the same time last year.
“iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment, and Services also achieved an all-time revenue record, up 14 percent from a year ago,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says in the press release.
Apple’s services revenue, which includes subscriptions like Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple TV surged 14 percent year over year, while Mac and wearable revenue were down.
In the coming months, Apple will bring promised AI-powered personalization features to Siri. Apple is partnering with Google to power this upgrade, which will use a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model.
The company is also acquiring an AI startup, called Q.ai, for $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. Though there aren’t any details on how Apple plans to use the startup’s technology, the Financial Times reports that Q.ai’s patents “show its technology being used in headphones or glasses, using ‘facial skin micro movements’ to communicate without talking.”
Technology
Humanoid robot makes architectural history by designing a building
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What happens when artificial intelligence (AI) moves from painting portraits to designing homes? That question is no longer theoretical.
At the Utzon Center in Denmark, Ai-Da Robot, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, has made history as the first humanoid robot to design a building.
The project, called Ai-Da: Space Pod, is a modular housing concept created for future bases on the Moon and Mars. CyberGuy has covered Ai-Da before, when her work focused on drawing, painting and performance art. That earlier coverage showed how a robot could create original artwork in real time and why it sparked global debate.
Now, the shift is clear. Ai-Da is moving beyond art and into physical spaces designed for humans and robots to live in.
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3D-PRINTED HOUSING PROJECT FOR STUDENT APARTMENTS TAKES SHAPE
Ai-Da Robot is the humanoid artist that made architectural history by becoming the first robot to design a building. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Inside the ‘I’m not a robot’ exhibition
The exhibition “I’m not a robot” has just opened at Utzon Center and runs through October. It explores the creative capacity of machines at a time when robots are increasingly able to think and create for themselves. Visitors can experience Ai-Da’s drawings, paintings and architectural concepts. Throughout the exhibition period, visitors can also follow Ai-Da’s creative process through sketches, paintings and a video interview.
ELON MUSK TEASES A FUTURE RUN BY ROBOTS
How Ai-Da creates art and architecture
Ai-Da is not a digital avatar or animation. She has camera eyes, specially developed AI algorithms and a robotic arm that allows her to draw and paint in real time. Developed in Oxford and built in Cornwall in 2019, Ai-Da works across disciplines. She is a painter, sculptor, poet, performer and now an architectural designer whose work is meant to provoke reflection.
“Ai-Da presents a concept for a shared residential area called Ai-Da: Space Pod, a foreshadowing of a future where AI becomes an integrated part of architecture,” explains Aidan Meller, creator of Ai-Da and Director of Ai-Da Robot. “With intelligent systems, a building will be able to sense and respond to its occupants, adjusting light, temperature and digital interfaces according to needs and moods.”
A building designed for humans and robots
The Space Pod is intentionally modular. Each unit can connect to others through corridors, creating a shared residential environment.
Through a series of paintings, she envisions a home and studio for humans or robots alike. According to the Ai-Da Robot team, these designs could evolve into fully realized architectural models through 3D renderings and construction. They could also adapt to planned Moon or Mars base camps.
Aidan Meller presents Ai-Da robot, the first AI-powered robot artist during the UN Global Summit on AI for Good, where they are giving the keynote speech, on July 7, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images for Aidan Meller)
While the concept targets future bases on the Moon and Mars, the design can also be built as a prototype on Earth. That detail matters as space agencies prepare for longer missions beyond our planet.
“With our first crewed Moon landing in 50 years coming in 2027, Ai-Da: Space Pod is a simple unit connected to other Pods via corridors,” Meller said. “Ai-Da is a humanoid designing homes. This raises questions about where architecture may go when powerful AI systems gain greater agency.” The timing also aligns with renewed lunar exploration tied to NASA missions.
AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION ROBOT CHARLOTTE CAN 3D PRINT 2,150-SQ-FT HOME IN ONE DAY USING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
Why this exhibition is meant to challenge you
According to Meller, the exhibition is meant to feel uncomfortable at times. “Technology is developing at an extraordinary pace in these years,“ he said, pointing to emotional recognition through biometric data, CRISPR gene editing and brain computer interfaces. Each carries promise and ethical risk. He references Brave New World and warnings from Yuval Harari about how powerful technologies may be used.
In that context, Ai-Da becomes a mirror of our time. “Ai-Da is confrontational. The very fact that she exists is confrontational,” said Line Nørskov Davenport, Director of Exhibitions at Utzon Center. “She is an AI shaker, a conversation starter.”
Aidan Meller, British Gallery owner and specialist in modern and contemporary art, stands beside the AI robot artist “Ai-Da” at the Great Pyramids of Giza, where she exhibits her sculpture during an international art show, on the outskirt of Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 23, 2021. (REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
What this means for you
This story goes beyond robots and space travel. Ai-Da’s Space Pod shows how quickly AI is moving from a creative tool to a decision-maker. Architecture, housing and shared spaces shape daily life. When AI enters those fields, questions about control, ethics and accountability become unavoidable. If a robot can design homes for the Moon, it may soon influence how buildings function here on Earth.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
A humanoid robot designing a building once sounded impossible. Today, Ai-Da’s work sits inside a major cultural institution and sparks real debate. She offers no easy answers. Instead, she pushes us to think more critically about creativity, technology and responsibility. As the line between human and machine continues to blur, those questions matter more than ever.
If AI can design the homes of our future, how much creative control should humans be willing to give up? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With is joining Apple’s design team
I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of Lux and Halide. Today we launched the public preview of Halide Mark III, and the reception is more positive than we possibly could have hoped.
As we mentioned in the announcement post today, we’ve been working with legendary team at The Iconfactory on Mark III. We’re also super excited to be collaborating with the renowned colorist Cullen Kelly on the new looks in Mark III.
Ten years ago I started Halide, and for ten years, I lead product, ran the business, and coded almost everything. Except for the paywall. I hate working on payment screens. But I built everything else, and design was always a collaborative experience.
So in short, Halide is going nowhere. This has been my full time job since 2019, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
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