Robotics & Automation News

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Construction

Zepth and Boston Dynamics develop construction robotics solution

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Zepth, a construction industry solution provider, has agreed a new collaboration with Boston Dynamics, a builder of canine and humanoid robots.

As part of an early adopter program, the project management platform now offers users seamless integration with Boston Dynamics’ mobile robot Spot, enabling project teams to automate routine inspection tasks and capture data safely and with greater precision.

The collaboration combines the data collection capabilities of Spot with Zepth’s cutting-edge intelligent technology, allowing users to draw powerful insights from captured data to enhance efficiency, productivity, and collaboration throughout each phase of a project lifecycle. [Read more…] about Zepth and Boston Dynamics develop construction robotics solution

Construction robotics startup Kewazo raises $5 million

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Kewazo, a construction robotics startup, has closed a $5 million series A funding round, bringing the total amount raised to $9 million.

The round was led by True Ventures. Existing investor MIG AG, a Munich-based venture capital firm and one of the founding investors in BioNTech, also participated in the round.

Kewazo is digitizing construction with robotics and data analytics. The startup offers robotic material hoist LiftBot for construction sites and industrial plants. [Read more…] about Construction robotics startup Kewazo raises $5 million

Rugged Robotics completes first full-scale pilot on Consigli construction site

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The Consigli Construction Company says that a Houston-based construction technology startup, Rugged Robotics, has completed its first full-scale pilot on a Consigli job site.

Consigli says its collaboration with Rugged Robotics is in line with the construction company’s commitment to support and utilize cutting-edge technologies in an effort to advance efficiencies in the construction process.

Founded by a registered professional engineer and a NASA engineer, Rugged Robotics’ inaugural product tackles the challenge of field layout. Traditionally, field layout is performed using tape measures, chalk-lines, and surveying equipment to manually mark the location of walls and mechanical systems. [Read more…] about Rugged Robotics completes first full-scale pilot on Consigli construction site

4 Innovative construction solutions in building engineering

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Construction plays an important role in modern life. All man-made structures are the result of construction work. A vast majority of buildings, homes, towers, roads, and bridges are made of concrete and steel, plus some other materials added to bind them together.

But despite the intrinsic strength of both concrete and steel, the construction industry is still beset by numerous problems such as concrete cracking and high overall costs. To solve those issues, researchers have sought to develop construction innovations.

Among the most revolutionary innovations in building construction are energy efficient fabric structures. These are tensile materials used to wrap structural frameworks in lieu of concrete and wood. [Read more…] about 4 Innovative construction solutions in building engineering

Autonomous excavators ready for around the clock real-world application

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Researchers from Baidu Research and the University of Maryland have developed a robotic excavator system that integrates perception, planning, and control capabilities to enable material loading over a long duration with no human intervention

Researchers from Baidu Research Robotics and Auto-Driving Lab (RAL) and the University of Maryland, College Park, have introduced an autonomous excavator system (AES) that can perform material loading tasks for a long duration without any human intervention while offering performance closely equivalent to that of an experienced human operator.

AES is among the world’s first uncrewed excavation systems to have been deployed in real-world scenarios and continuously operating for over 24 hours, bringing about industry-leading benefits in terms of enhanced safety and productivity.

The researchers described their methodology in a research paper published on June 30, 2021, in Science Robotics. [Read more…] about Autonomous excavators ready for around the clock real-world application

BVN and UTS invent robotic 3D-printed air cooling system

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BVN Architecture and the University of Technology Sydney have teamed up to design what they say is “the world’s first robotically 3D-printed air-diffusion system”, called “Systems Reef 2”, or SR2.

SR2 reinvents air distribution: replacing steel with recycled plastic, square corners with aerodynamic curves, and large vents with fine pores.

The building sector is responsible for nearly 40 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions and SR2 tackles this problem head on. [Read more…] about BVN and UTS invent robotic 3D-printed air cooling system

Boston Dynamics robot dog used to inspect construction work at Virginia Tech

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Virginia Tech researchers are unleashing an autonomous robot dog on university construction sites to investigate the applications of using robots to monitor construction progress. 

Faculty and students from Myers-Lawson School of Construction, within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and College of Engineering, are partnering with the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities and industry sponsor Procon Consulting to deploy Spot, a mobile robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics, to conduct this innovative research.

The ongoing experimental investigation is exploring whether construction progress monitoring – a traditionally human-dependent, labor-intensive, and error-prone process – can be improved by leveraging autonomous robotic technology to lead the systematic collection of data in construction environments. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics robot dog used to inspect construction work at Virginia Tech

Japanese construction giant Obayashi to integrate SafeAI technology to make its vehicles autonomous

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SafeAI, a technology platform for autonomous heavy equipment, and Obayashi Corporation, a Japanese-based global leader in construction, have agreed a partnership to create autonomous construction sites, beginning with a pilot program on a US test site.

Joining with one of the largest names in construction, SafeAI is demonstrating industrial autonomy in a real world situation and setting a standard for future autonomous heavy equipment.

The news follows Obayashi’s strategic investment in SafeAI in November 2019. [Read more…] about Japanese construction giant Obayashi to integrate SafeAI technology to make its vehicles autonomous