Robotic & Automation for Construction: Actors & Stakeholders

The rise of Robotics and Automation

The global construction industry is embracing robotics and automation (R&A) driven by the critical need for increased safety, productivity and predictability. R&A is integrating into the entire construction lifecycle – from design to execution and monitoring. Success relies on a Networking Ecosystem where technology creators, research entities, large industry players and end-users collaborate to prove the value and scalability of automated solutions.

Equipment manufacturers: Hilti and nLink

Hilti Group is a prime example of productizing high-value robotic applications. Their Hilti Jaibot, a semi-autonomous drilling robot, is the result of a strategic collaboration with Norwegian startup nLink since 2021. This partnership leverages Hilti's market access and safety standards with nLink's robotics expertise, automating the strenuous task of overhead drilling for MEP installations directly from a digital plan.

Fig. 1 – AMALTEA project: robotics technologies (credit: Iturralde)

Construction robotics: FBR Hadrian X

FBR Limited's Hadrian X is designed to be the world's first fully autonomous bricklaying system. The truck-mounted robot uses a telescopic boom to lay proprietary blocks with high precision based on 3D CAD data, using fast-curing adhesive instead of mortar to achieve unprecedented lay rates with minimal material waste.

Fig. 2 – Hadrian X autonomous masonry robot (credit: FBR)

Monitoring: Boston Dynamics Spot + HoloBuilder

Boston Dynamics Spot performs autonomous, repeatable site walks capturing vast data, processed by the FARO/HoloBuilder platform into 360-degree virtual records linked directly to the BIM model. GCs like Skanska are active pioneers testing Spot for novel applications – setting new benchmarks for efficiency and safety.

Consortium projects: AMALTEA

The AMALTEA Horizon Europe consortium brings together RTOs, universities, architects and robot manufacturers to combine AI, robotics and Digital Twins. Their goal is to validate a single streamlined digital-to-physical process for building envelope systems from design through manufacturing to construction.

Fig. 3 – Hilti robotic construction tools (credit: Hilti)

Conclusion

The transition to a digital construction site is an ecosystem challenge. Innovation from product developers like Hilti, disruption from builders like FBR, essential monitoring from Spot and HoloBuilder, and research catalysed by AMALTEA – all essential. The collaborative efforts across this value chain are accelerating the pace of change, replacing dangerous repetitive manual labour with sophisticated data-driven automation.

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