Published September 5, 2023
In 2017, global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. put out an eye-popping report that pegged the worldwide spend on construction-related goods and services at $10 trillion a year.
What’s more, it said that productivity gains in construction haven’t kept pace with other industries, and a shortage of capacity is leaving $1.6 trillion worth of building projects on the table every year—a third of it in the United States.
Making things worse are the industry’s labor shortage and its aging workforce. In 2022, U.S. construction businesses averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month, according to national trade group Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
“With nearly one in four construction workers older than 55, retirements will continue to whittle away at the construction workforce,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Many of these older construction workers are also the most productive, refining their skills over time. The number of construction laborers, the most entry-level occupational title, has accounted for nearly four out of every 10 new construction workers since 2012. Meanwhile, the number of skilled workers has grown at a much slower pace or, in the case of certain occupations like carpenter, declined.”
With statistics like this, it’s a sure bet robotics manufacturers are going to look for ways to speed up processes and offset labor shortages in the construction industry. And they’re making impressive inroads. Still, despite the current wave of progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the complexity at jobsites is beyond the decision-making abilities of machines, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
So for now, between the high cost of robotics and its technologic limitations, experts agree most construction jobs remain secure. But some are at more risk than others.
“Operating engineers, for example, have higher potential for [being replaced by] automation because most of the technology they use now is available in self-driving cars,” according to a 2022 article from Industry Tap. “Roofers, construction laborers, and sheet metal workers can’t be replaced, at least for now, as much of the physical work performed is unpredictable and changes based on the environment, something AI isn’t capable of yet.”
So just what are robots doing at jobsites? For the most part, they’re helping to speed up repetitive tasks and reduce safety risks in three broad areas.
1. Vision, printing and inspection
This is probably the most here-and-now application of robotics in construction.
Flying drones have made a fast entry into construction. They’re inexpensive and relatively easy to operate, and they serve the obvious role visualizing hard-to-reach areas.
Three-dimensional laser scanning has been in routine use for even longer. It can capture detailed views of both indoor and outdoor sites to creative virtual models for design and jobsite management. According to Digital Builder, the construction blog of software firm Autodesk, laser scanning can cut scanning costs in half while improving onsite coordination and collaboration.
A number of companies have jobsite layout printers already in the field, including HP and Dusty Robotics. These units – generally the size of a household vacuum cleaner – can print construction layouts for multiple trades on a concrete slab 10 times faster than with traditional methods, according to promotional literature.
Robots are also already in use to inspect pipes. Pipebot is a 1.5-inch robot that can walk or swim through pipes to scan for problems and relay wireless data back to its operator, according to BIM+ construction newsletter.
With support from Turner Construction, the robot “dog” Spot from Boston Dynamics – you’ve seen the videos – is being adapted to monitor jobsite safety and conduct remote visual inspections.
2. Dirty and dangerous
A number of manufacturers sell demolition machines. These don’t operate autonomously, which is how we tend to think of robots today. Instead, they’re remote-controlled by an operator to reduce the back-breaking labor of tearing apart old structures.
Husqvarna’s DXR series of demolition machines starts at about $200,000. Brokk Inc. has been producing remote-controlled demolition machines since 1976, and offers attachments that, in addition to hammering and breaking, allow concrete crushing, metal shearing, grappling and digging.
Excavators are another area where robotics is beginning to find its place. HEAP, under development by ETH Zurich, promises to allow autonomous operation when commercially available, for use in digging and landscaping. And Built Robotics, focused on the solar power industry, offers a self-guided track loader, an autonomous pile driver, and is promoting a fully autonomous trenching upgrade that it says can be installed on any excavator.
3. Repetitive and heavy
An application of robotics that generates a lot of industry excitement is assisting humans with jobs that involve heavy lifting and repetitive motion. As an example, Mule from Construction Robotics, is a commercially available lift-assist device with a rotating arm that a worker can use to grab heavy materials and place them precisely where needed without muscle strain. The company claims it can cut production time by up to two-thirds, while reducing fatigue and injury.
The same company has been offering a robotic bricklaying system for about 10 years. Operated by a skilled mason, it can apply mortar and place bricks along a straight course at up to five times the speed of a person.
Other innovations include TyBOT from Advanced Construction Robotics, which takes over the backbreaking road construction work of tying rebar intersections—at a rate, according to the company, of more than 1,200 per hour.
Meanwhile, for indoor finishing work, Canvas is leasing a tablet-operated robot that muds and sands drywall. And robotics start-up Les Companions is piloting PACO (painter companion), a “collaborative robot” for interior painting on new construction and renovation.
Much of this technology is costly, so it will find its initial use among the largest firms. And given the workforce challenges, it’s unlikely to replace workers as much as increase overall industry capacity. But at some point, the technology will be accessible enough that smaller builders will be able to use it to lighten the load for skilled craftsmen.
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