Robots rising: How automation is reshaping the construction site

Robots and humans are starting to work side by side. But how far can robotics go on the jobsite, and what does it take to develop robotic solutions for the construction industry?

The challenge of construction robotics

“Construction robotics is hard to do right,” explained Tessa Lau, founder and CEO of Dusty Robotics. She would know better than anyone. Her company’s flagship product, the FieldPrinter, uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) to print precise layout plans directly onto job sites — a task that once relied on a team’s most experienced workers.

Before founding Dusty Robotics, Lau co-founded Savioke (now Relay Robotics), where she deployed over 75 delivery robots in the hospitality industry. She also worked as a research scientist at Willow Garage and IBM Research, making her a seasoned innovator in the robotics space.

Navigating a dynamic jobsite

According to Lau, the dynamic nature of construction sites makes automation particularly challenging.

“Mostly, robots are good when doing the same thing over and over. But construction sites change on an hourly basis. It is completely different the next day, so it’s very hard to identify a use case that robots can solve and is easy to automate,” she said.

This is why robots have been adopted much quicker in manufacturing, where environments are controlled, and processes are repetitive. On construction sites, however, successful automation requires narrowing the problem down to tasks that are predictable enough for robots to handle — like layout printing.

Enhancing, not replacing, jobs

As for concerns about robots replacing jobs, Lau sees Dusty Robotics creating new roles and enhancing existing ones.

“The job of layout typically is done by the most experienced person on site, and they have a ton of responsibilities. They’re very happy to have a tool that allows them to focus on higher-value things like training workers, managing material deliveries, and ensuring the work gets done correctly,” said Lau.

In fact, she believes Dusty Robotics has created a whole new class of jobs: dedicated layout operators. These roles offer new opportunities for job seekers and showcase innovation in an industry that often carries a reputation for technological stagnation.

“It gets young people engaged, and people who are willing to learn get the chance to have a great life,” she added.

The road ahead

So, where is this all going? Despite its challenges, construction still a lot of room for robotic growth. When Lau and her co-founder began Dusty Robotics, they identified roughly a dozen tasks ripe for automation, such as jobsite cleanup and materials movement.

“Maybe 20% of construction workers’ time is spent looking for equipment, parts, and tools,” said Lau. “If we can automate that, we could supercharge productivity.”

But before that vision becomes reality, Lau stressed the importance of builders investing in virtual design and construction (VDC). Without it, the benefits of robotics can’t be fully realized.

“If you don’t have the model, you don’t know what to tell the robots to do,” she said. “Once you have it, it enables lots of things. In our case, it’s the layout. It all has to start with that model. Not all companies are BIM-enabled, and that’s really the gating factor.”

Ultimately, Lau believes robotics will become as commonplace as electricity.

“You don’t think about using it. It’s just become part of the fabric of our lives, and I think that will be robotics eventually,” she said.