A team of researchers in Switzerland has shown how a robotic arm can create chains of strings to tie asphalt together for more sustainable road construction, according to a report by the New Atlas website.

This method will eliminate the need for bitumen, which is harmful to the environment, and also makes it easier to recycle road materials.

A press release explains that researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) got the idea from an artistic and scientific project that created columns using a mixture of gravel and strings.

The columns, up to 80 cm high, were made of gravel interwoven with a thread that held the structures together.

And in a compression test, it was found to withstand loads of 20 tons.

Scientists considered this project a starting point, and used thread in their research to reinforce asphalt layers for roads.

When there is a way to scale up this method, it could provide a significant environmental advantage over the use of bitumen extracted from crude oil.

The team followed the same series that the Swiss use extensively to accumulate waste paper.

A robotic arm was used to stack 5 layers of gravel and thread, one on top of each other in a pre-programmed pattern.

"We want to know how a recyclable dock can be produced in the future," explains team member Dr. Martin Araijada.

To do this, we are using digital construction methods in road construction for the first time. "

The scientists conducted pregnancy tests, and the team revealed that the experimental road material was able to withstand pressures equivalent to 0.55 tons.

Computer modeling has also been used to help researchers track stone movement and the tensile strength of strands.

The team emphasized that the current form of materials would not be safe for road construction.

However, they believe that their experiences prove that this method has great potential for road building via a more sustainable process.

Their work adds to the broader efforts of the scientific community to create a more environmentally friendly process of building roads.

For example, a research team from the University of Melbourne recently experimented with recycling face masks into road materials.

The next goal of the IMPA team is to perform a moving (dynamic) load test with rolling pressure for a more realistic simulation of road conditions.