News

Advancing construction robotics through collaboration 

On 22 and 23 September 2026, ENCORD members met in Amstetten for the third meeting of the Temporary Working Group “Applied Robotics and Automation in Construction”. The two-day workshop brought together construction companies, technology providers and research expertise to exchange practical experiences and define how the group can advance the application of robotics and automation on construction sites. 

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Partners from across Europe joined our discussions 

The workshop brought together representatives from BAM, Doka, Acciona, Ballast Nedam, Dragados, Ferrovial, Hexagon and Leica Geosystems, Hilti, Skanska, Swietelsky and Teixeira Duarte. It comprised company presentations, expert input, practical demonstrations and focused working sessions. Participants shared examples from drilling, layout, reality capture, bricklaying, autonomous construction machinery, tunnel construction, inspection, prefabrication, formwork and site logistics. A keynote by Professor Thomas Linner also helped us to place our discussions in an international context. 

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Crucially, our discussions covered not only successful applications of robotics but also where pilots had been unsuccessful. This enabled us to explore the practical barriers that continue to prevent wider deployment.  

The main conclusion was that the industry does not simply need more robotic concepts. It needs better mechanisms for selecting relevant use cases, testing solutions under realistic conditions, collecting comparable evidence and transferring learning from one project to the next.  

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Taking steps towards creating a European wide learning process 

The open and constructive atmosphere generated a clear commitment to continue working together. Participants agreed to establish a shared information structure and combine knowledge of available solutions with real construction needs. This will allow us to prioritise promising use cases and develop a common approach to testing and evaluating selected technologies. 

The group will place particular emphasis on practical site requirements, user involvement, safety, operational integration, measurable value and viable business models. Its 18-month work plan moves from alignment and evidence building to method development, active workstreams, delivery and scaling.

The workshop therefore marked an important step in turning individual company experience into a coordinated European learning process. By sharing evidence, contacts and lessons learned, members can reduce duplicated effort, identify common requirements and create a stronger basis for discussions with technology providers, research partners and other industry stakeholders. 

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The ambition is not to create another discussion forum, but to build a trusted working community that produces useful evidence, supports practical experimentation and helps members address challenges that are difficult to tackle independently. 

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How to get involved

We welcome participants from across the European construction industry and beyond to help realise the full opportunities that robotics and automation can offer. For more information contact Wilfred van Woudenberg and Werner Wenighofer.