DECEMBER 2021CIOAPPLICATIONSEUROPE.COM 19Digital planning is definitely increasing also in construction. Yet, the building process with its various trades, contractors and subcontractors remains highly fragmentedreal jobsite, the data transferred to the robot and the drill tip needs to be localized with this accuracy in the constructed building. Today, most jobsite robots operating "under roof" and requiring such a positional accuracy, i.e. also layout robots, use surveying technologies and total stations or similar to establish an accurate and localized reference. Robots that require "only" a high application accuracy, for instance drywalling or paint robots, do often not require digital planning, but use scanning technology to orientate themselves within the work area. For all mobile robots moving in unmapped and open terrain, safe autonomy will require relevant sensors and decision making to recognize and avoid obstacles in the pathway of the system as well as within the work area of the manipulator. As with many emerging technologies, technology development is often ahead of the legislative framework. Some countries have recently started to develop best practices or even legal frameworks for the safe deployment of autonomous construction robots. From today's perspective, it seems likely that construction robots will gain autonomy rather gradually, continuing to require supervising operators to take over control when needed. Related to this, an open topic in systems design seems the use of collaborative arms (cobots), particularly when construction robots work alongside construction workers. While fencing off the active work area can also be achieved with "curtains", cobots offer a range of safety features that are important for safe deployment within an unstructured and active construction site. With cobots being a reasonably new development of robotic technology, the portfolio of suitable cobot solutions has to date been rather limited. It will thus be interesting to see how the technology will develop with regards to safety, performance, weight and price and if regulators and certifiers reflect this in their frameworks. As is the case with manufacturing, more planning, coordination and alignment of stakeholders along the value chain results in more productivity. Digital planning is definitely increasing also in construction. Yet, the building process with its various trades, contractors and subcontractors remains highly fragmented. This can easily dampen the productivity gains of construction robots. Fortunately, planners are increasingly taking on a coordinating role between the stakeholders to avoid collisions, delays and rework. While this is certainly good for the adoption of construction robots, it also shows once again that adoption is not just based on "technology maturity", but also on "workflow fit". First steps in bringing construction robots to the market have been taken, a lot more has to be done. From today's perspective it may be too early to say, which approach, application and solution will eventually establish itself as "Best Practice" for a robot on a construction site. But it seems clear that external factors such as a changing and often ageing labour force, increasing awareness of workers' safety and health and the need for more sustainability will promote the use of robotic solutions across the construction industry. Exciting times ahead!
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