By 2050, the human population is expected to reach 9.7 million. In effect, securing affordable and eco-friendly housing will become a forefront issue for many citizens. Fortunately, a new solution to this dilemma was recently presented, and it is literally dirt cheap.

The company WASP – also known as the World's Advanced Saving Project – has figured out how to 3D-print full-sized homes out of nothing more than mud and clay. Whereas most building materials, such as concrete, have high-carbon footprints, these materials pose no threat to the environment.

WASP is close to finishing its first building which reaches 40-feet tall. Incredibly, it cost only $53 to make.

Credit: WASP

Italian innovator Massimo Moretti is one of the bright minds behind the WASP project. Ambitious to provide widespread housing for poverty-stricken areas, he is using a giant 3D printer to make this vision a reality.

Says Moretti:

"Clay and straw with no additive can be easily printed in 3d. The period of transformation from liquid to solid allows to print around 60 centimeters per day, or even more in the summer (maybe one meter per day). Therefore: two men and one machine can 3D-print a comfortable and healthy shelter in a very short time and with really little money."