Construction Robotics

Journal: Construction Robotics

Abbreviation

Constr Robot

Publisher

Springer

ISSN

2509-8780
2509-811X

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Publications1 - 10 of 17

Eggshell Pavilion: a reinforced concrete structure fabricated using robotically 3D printed formwork
Burger, Joris Jan; Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Petrus; Gürel, Seyma; et al. (2023)
Construction Robotics
This paper discusses the design, fabrication, and assembly of the ‘Eggshell Pavilion’, a reinforced concrete structure fabricated using 3D printed thin shell formwork. Formworks for columns and slabs were printed from recycled plastic using a pellet extruder mounted to a robotic arm. The formworks were cast and demoulded, and the finished elements were assembled into a pavilion, showcasing the architectural potential of 3D printed formwork. The Eggshell Pavilion was designed and fabricated within the scope of a design studio at ETH Zurich. The structure was designed using a fully parametric design workflow that allowed for incorporating changes into the design until the fabrication. The pavilion consists of four columns and floor slabs. Each column and floor slab is reinforced with conventional reinforcing bars. Two different methods are used for casting the columns and floor slabs. The columns are cast using ‘Digital casting systems’, a method for the digitally controlled casting of fast-hardening concrete. Digital casting reduces the hydrostatic pressure exerted on the formwork to a minimum, thereby enabling the casting of tall structures with thin formwork. The floor slabs are cast with a commercially available concrete mix, as the pressure exerted on the formwork walls is lower than for the columns. In this research, 3D printed formwork is combined with traditional reinforcing, casting, and assembly methods, bringing the technology closer to an industrial application.
Calibrated dynamic modeling for force and payload estimation in hydraulic machinery
Werner, Lennart; Eyschen, Pol; Costello, Sean; et al. (2025)
Construction Robotics
Accurate real-time estimation of end effector interaction forces in hydraulic excavators is a key enabler for advanced auto mation in heavy machinery. Accurate knowledge of these forces allows improved, precise grading and digging maneuvers. To address these challenges, we introduce a high-accuracy, retrofittable 2D force- and payload estimation algorithm that does not impose additional requirements on the operator regarding trajectory, acceleration or the use of the slew joint. The approach is designed for retrofittability, requires minimal calibration and no prior knowledge of machine-specific dynamic characteristics. Specifically, we propose a method for identifying a dynamic model, necessary to estimate both end effector interaction forces and bucket payload during normal operation. Our optimization-based payload estimation achieves a full-scale payload accuracy of 1%. On a standard 25 t excavator, the online force measurement from pres sure and inertial measurements achieves a direction accuracy of 13° and a magnitude accuracy of 383 N. The method’s accuracy and generalization capability are validated on two excavator platforms of different type and weight classes. We benchmark our payload estimation against a classical quasistatic method and a commercially available system. Our system outperforms both in accuracy and precision.
Adaptive robotic tamping: a novel robotic method for formative surface finishing in earth-based additive manufacturing
Chadha, Kunaljit; Vasey, Lauren; Gramazio, Fabio; et al. (2025)
Construction Robotics
Earth-based materials are emerging in additive manufacturing (AM) for construction due to their wide availability and minimal environmental impact. However, the inherent rough surface texture from AM processes poses significant barriers to getting accepted by the building industry partly due to its tendency to accumulate dust, dirt, and pollutants, leading to challenges in long-term maintenance. To address this challenge, this paper presents a novel ’tamping’ technique as a formative robotic surface finishing method to achieve smooth surface quality in structures produced through robotic additive manufacturing with earth-based materials, particularly for the Impact Printing process, which involves the discrete aggregation of workable parts at high velocity to create volumetric structures. The tamping process achieves a smooth surface finish by iteratively compacting the structure’s surface while the material remains workable, leveraging the extended workability period of the material post-deposition and eliminating the need for additional materials for surface finishing. This paper describes the experimental setup consisting of a custom end-effector and electronic integration for adaptive control and presents preliminary results of the robotic tamping process, demonstrating its potential to improve surface quality and affirming the viability of the Impact Printing method for sustainable construction practices within the industry.
Beyond googly eyes: stakeholder perceptions of robots in construction
Walzer, Alexander N.; Kahlert, Aniko; Baumann, Micha; et al. (2022)
Construction Robotics
The interest in advanced robotic equipment in construction has increased in recent years. However, actual industry adoption lags behind—and fundamental considerations might be at fault. To date, little scholarship in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) addresses the stakeholder perception of construction robot design. Therefore, we ask, “How do visual attributes of a construction robot influence the perception of AEC stakeholders?” To conduct our study, we performed a bibliometric analysis on a corpus of 59 scholarly research articles, 5 expert interviews and created and pre-validated a robot database of 50 robot pictures classified on their visual attributes of morphology, color and material. As a result, we present a study with 161 construction professionals who judged these robots based on three visual main criteria: ease of use, work task adaptability and risk of job loss. In total, more than 6500 data points are collected and analyzed using binary logistic regression. The five key findings are that construction professionals perceive that: (1) Zoomorphic (animal-like) robots are easier to use than anthropomorphic (human-like) or mechanomorphic (machine-like) robots, (2) Bright robots are easier to use than dark robots, (3) Zoomorphic and anthropomorphic robots are more multifunctional than mechanomorphic robots, (4) Anthropomorphic and mechanomorphic robots are more of a risk to job loss than zoomorphic robots, and (5) Dark robots are more of a risk to job loss than bright ones. These results are important for academics and practitioners that aim to increase the likelihood of positive stakeholder perception of robots in construction. The findings can further help to develop specific user-centered design principles. Such implementation can reduce the risk of construction professionals rejecting future robots when they are introduced at the AEC job site.
Rock Print Pavilion: robotically fabricating architecture from rock and string
Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Petrus; Rusenova, Gergana; Ammar, Mirjan; et al. (2020)
Construction Robotics
In this paper, we present novel techniques and tools for mobile robotic in situ fabrication of fibre reinforced granular structures outdoors. The research focuses on Jammed Architectural Structures (JAS), a material system that combines granular jamming with strategically placed reinforcement creating robust yet fully reversible structures from crushed rock and string. An architectural implementation of robotic fabrication of JAS requires research on the material system to optimize fabrication speed and on the robotic fabrication method to adapt it for mobile robotic fabrication on uneven ground. There is also a need for building strategies to protect the structure from weathering and making it safe for the public. A novel robotic fabrication method with a fabrication speed that is acceptable for experimental construction and enables fabrication of building-scale dimensions on uneven ground is presented. The presented research consists of three experiments: a column built with a novel reinforcement pattern, a wall element built with a novel end-effector and a building that incorporates the findings from the two first experiments built in situ outdoors with a mobile robot. The conclusion is that robotic fabrication of JAS is suitable for outdoor constructions, that it can be used to create enclosed space that is geometrically articulated and allows for openings and that it is suitable for structural and load-bearing elements. Finally, future work on how to increase the lifespan of the material system and how to increase the fabrication speed further is outlined and discussed. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.
Beyond transparency: architectural application of robotically fabricated polychromatic foat glass
Giesecke, Rena; Clemente, Rémy; Mitropoulou, Ioanna; et al. (2022)
Construction Robotics
This research investigates robotically fabricated polychromatic float glass for architectural applications. Polychromatic glass elements usually require labor-intensive processes or are limited to film applications of secondary materials onto the glass. Previous research employs computer numerical control (CNC) based multi-channel granule deposition to manufacture polychromatic relief glass; however, it is limited in motion, channel control, and design space. To expand the design and fabrication space for the manufacture of mono-material polychromatic glass elements, this paper presents further advancements using a UR robotic arm with an advanced multi-channel dispenser, linear and curved-paths granule deposition, customized color pattern design approaches, and a computational tool for the prediction and rendering of outcomes. A large-scale demonstrator serves as a case study for upscaling. Robotic multi-channel deposition and tailored computational design tools are employed to facilitate a full-scale installation consisting of eighteen large glass panels. Novel optical properties include locally varying color, opacity, and texture filter light and view. The resulting product constructs sublime architectural experiences through light refraction, reflection, color, opacity - beyond mere transparency.
Crafting plaster through continuous mobile robotic fabrication on‑site
Ercan, Selen; Lloret-Fritschi, Ena; Gramazio, Fabio; et al. (2020)
Construction Robotics
Understanding stakeholders’ intention to use construction robots: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis
Wu, Sihui; Walzer, Alexander N.; Kahlert, Aniko; et al. (2024)
Construction Robotics
User acceptance is crucial for successfully adopting robotic technologies in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. Previous studies have focused on domestic, service, and industrial robots, leaving the construction domain unexplored. In this study, we set out to empirically understand how various dimensions of technology, environment, robot, and user lead to AEC stakeholders’ intention to use construction robots. We apply the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach to capture the complexity of human behavior and the interdependencies across dimensions. For the data collection, we sampled 216 cases in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria evaluating three scenarios of human–robot interaction. Our analysis identifies three distinct user profiles—the lifelike robot user, the utilitarian robot user, and the lifelike-utilitarian robot user. The results show that human–robot peering may be a fundamental solution to increase user acceptance. By testing the effect of user characteristics, we also discover a lifelike-utilitarian type of robot that is more appealing to female AEC stakeholders. The study contributes to the construction robotics literature by providing tailored design and implementation strategies. It points to future research avenues such as user experience and social factors for exploring the impact of robotics and artificial intelligence in AEC.
Cooperative augmented assembly (CAA): augmented reality for on-site cooperative robotic fabrication
Alexi, Eleni Vasiliki; Kenny, Joseph Clair; Atanasova, Lidia; et al. (2024)
Construction Robotics
Recent years have witnessed significant advances in computational design and robotic fabrication for large-scale manufacturing. Although these advances have enhanced the speed, precision, and reproducibility of digital fabrication processes, they often lack adaptability and fail to integrate manual actions in a digital model. Addressing this challenge, the present study introduces cooperative augmented assembly (CAA), a phone-based mobile Augmented Reality (AR) application that facilitates cooperative assembly of complex timber structures between humans and robots. CAA enables augmented manual assembly, intuitive robot control and supervision, and task sharing between humans and robots, creating an adaptive digital fabrication process. To allocate tasks to manual or robotic actions, the mobile AR application allows multiple users to access a shared digital workspace. This is achieved through a flexible communication system that allows numerous users and robots to cooperate seamlessly. By harnessing a cloud-based augmented reality system in combination with an adaptive digital model, CAA aims to better incorporate human actions in robotic fabrication setups, facilitating human–machine cooperation workflows and establishing a highly intuitive, adaptable digital fabrication process within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector.
Building (with) human–robot teams: fabrication-aware design, planning, and coordination of cooperative assembly processes
Atanasova, Lidia; Clair Kenny, Joseph; Vasiliki Alexi, Eleni; et al. (2025)
Construction Robotics
This research presents a comprehensive methodology for designing and fabricating spatial timber assemblies using cooperative human–robot workflows, enabling the on-site construction of complex structures that exceed the capabilities of humans or robots alone. At the core of this approach is a rule-based design method—termed assembly grammar—which defines not only geometric configurations but also sequences of interdependent physical tasks for assembling reciprocal frame-like structures cooperatively. This methodology integrates user-defined design intentions with equilibrium conditions and fabrication constraints specific to both robotic and manual processes. The design is stored using a graph-based assembly model, which captures geometric information alongside task-related data such as task assignments, robotic fabrication parameters, and assembly sequences. Complementing the design workflow, the methodology also includes strategies for effectively coordinating and distributing tasks between humans and mobile robots, supported by a custom-developed mobile augmented reality (AR) application. To validate the approach, a fabrication-aware design tool was created and applied for generating complex reciprocal-like timber structuresfor scaffold-free in-situ cooperative assembly. The coordinated assembly methodology was then demonstrated through the successful construction of two architectural-scale timber demonstrators built cooperatively by multiple humans and robots. Evaluation criteria such as assembly accuracy and the effectiveness of human–robot interaction demonstrated the practical benefits and applicability of the methodology for real-world construction scenarios.

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