Source: Scaled RoboticsA Spain-based startup has developed a robot that can assess the progress of construction sites.

Scaled Robotics has developed a robot that can generate precise 3D progress maps of construction sites within minutes, detecting potential issues with the location of construction materials or the measurement of components such as beams, for instance. According to the researchers, the robots accomplish these tasks much faster than human construction workers might.

Recently demonstrated at TC Disrupt Berlin 2019, the robot moves around construction sites, either via remote control or autonomously, using a 360° camera and a lidar system. It is also outfitted with object recognition technology to distinguish assembled construction components — for instance, a completed wall — from individual components — such as a panel of sheetrock. This data is then compared to a CAD model of the site, and, together, they generate an accurate snapshot about the progress being made on the construction site.

In addition to real-time updates on what has been accomplished on a site, the robot can also be used to measure components and to determine if the site has any safety issues, for instance obstacles such as scattered construction materials.

The construction industry is not immune to automation. In fact, predictions are that more than 7,000 robots will be working in construction by 2025. Evidence of this trend is just beginning to emerge with examples such as a Boston-based construction company using AI to predict work site accidents before they happen. Likewise, researchers from the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a flying robot to help maintain skyscrapers while French utility EDF is using remotely operated robots to repair faulty welds at a nuclear power plant.