So why not get a robot to do the hard work so we dont have to?
Thats exactly what researchers at ETH Zurichs Robotic Systems Lab in Switzerland are working on.
Theyve trained anautonomousexcavator to construct stone walls using boulders weighing several tonnes without any human interference.
In the machines first assignment, it built a six metre-high and 65 metre-long loading bearing wall.
If scaled, the solution could to pave the way for faster, more sustainable construction.
It can also register their approximate weight as well as their centre of gravity.
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Automation is easiest to implement on repetitive tasks with predictable outcomes like in manufacturing assembly lines.
But a construction site is a complex, messy environment where safety if paramount.
However, there are other applications of robotics technologies in construction that are being implemented right now.
For instance, UK startuphyperTunnelcombines swarm roboticsand AI to excavate tunnels up to 10 times faster than conventional methods.
In the UK, a 36-home housing development is currently being built this way.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
