Bricklaying robot six times faster

November 30, 2017

A bricklaying robot already working on U.S. and U.K. building sites can lay 3,000 bricks a day, six times faster than a traditional human bricklayer.
The Semi-Automated Mason—or SAM for short—is the creation of New York-based Construction Robotics. It has already replaced humans on a handful of sites across America.
SAM’s mortar nozzle pumps concrete onto the brick before its robotic arm places it on the wall. It’s made up of a conveyor belt, mortar pump, and robotic arm.
One builder helps feed the bricks into the machine, which are picked up by the robotic arm, slathered in mortar, and put in place.
A company spokesman said that the machine has no problem with window openings and can be adjusted on the fly to handle plumbness. The machine cannot deal with corners, however.
SAM costs companies around US$20,000 per month for six units, and would still require humanoid assistants.
SAM may be the thin edge of the wedge in construction robots, however. With a construction labour shortage and rising costs, the industry is also recruiting drones and robotic prefabrication to increase efficiencies, surveys show.