12-ton robot can automatically build stone walls

Swiss Robot HEAP uses advanced technology to scan, sort rocks and recycled materials, then automatically build walls.

The HEAP robot builds a self-standing wall from recycled concrete and gneiss. Photo: Michael Lyrenmann/Science Robotics — The HEAP robot builds a self-standing wall from recycled concrete and gneiss. Photo: *Michael Lyrenmann/Science Robotics*

A team led by Ryan Luke Johns, an expert at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), has developed a 12-ton autonomous robot that can build stone walls from natural and recycled materials. The new research was published in the journal Science Robotics on November 22.

The robot, called the Hydraulic Excavator for Autonomous Purposes (HEAP), uses advanced technologies such as LiDAR (laser-based remote sensing), image segmentation, and planning algorithms. It can scan, classify, and stack stone and concrete blocks in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

The new robot was tested at two locations. It was able to build a 10-meter-long self-supporting wall and a 65-meter-long earth retaining wall, using only materials available at the sites. The robot also created a 3D digital inventory of the materials, making it easy to reuse and recycle them when the wall is no longer needed.

The research team said HEAP could help address the challenges of the construction industry, which accounts for more than 10% of the world’s GDP but is plagued by low productivity, high waste, and labor shortages. By using robots to build with recycled, natural, locally available materials and with low energy consumption, the construction industry could reduce its environmental impact, increase efficiency, and increase sustainability.

The team also claims that HEAP reduces CO2 emissions by up to 41% compared to building a traditional reinforced concrete wall. They say the new robot is a testament to a future of robotic construction, where machines can work autonomously and collaboratively to create flexible, adaptable structures.

Thu Thao (According to Interesting Engineering )

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