What robots are doing on construction sites right now
Layout-marking and rebar-tying robots have the best contractor-reported results. Across a whole project, robots still do only a small slice of the work.
5Jobs robots do for a project today
17Independent deployment records behind this page
3 of 17Records that document a pause, removal or failure
Tick the jobs you want a robot to take
Each card shows how mature the job isWhere this does not work — read before you enquire
- Robots do a small slice of the job. A contractor’s own model put robot-saved work at a tiny share of the project.
- Check the vendor will outlast your project. A block-laying robot finished its demo homes; the customer walked and the maker nearly folded.
- Rebar robots work flat, not vertical. Horizontal decks only, and still hand-fed wire and edge ties.
- Bricklaying robots have not scaled. The one on record works best on long straight walls; corners and tight spaces slow it down.
- Unions can accept them. One union crew came round once the robot took the second shift, not their jobs.
- Vendor numbers run high. Where contractors measured it themselves, savings came in below the maker’s figures. Our advice
Unlabelled points come from operator-reported or independently observed deployments.
Built on 17 independent deployment records. Robot prices are vendor or reseller list figures and vary by market — confirm with the vendor.