Construction Robotics: Current Approaches, Future Prospects

In recent years, robotics has entered strongly in a large number of industrial sectors, especially the automotive, manufacturing, aeronautical and agriculture sectors, having a major impact on industrial, labor and technological policies, as well as within the development dynamics of each sector’s products. The construction sector is one of the largest global industries, but it is still considered a low-tech and disjointed environment. It is clear that the new phase of construction robotics now dawning defies conventional interpretations and comparisons to similar industries. A reshaping and clarification of concepts, incorporating a much more flexible understanding of the term robot, as well as a clear classification and formulation of its future potential, is a crucial step to responding to current innovations and adapting them to the construction sector’s needs. The research underlying this paper seeks to provide an extensive framework of the relationship between the building and robotic industries, as well as to investigate the possible role of robotics in the improvement of the building sector in the near future. © 2021, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. All rights reserved.