Construction Robots are Moving from Pilot Projects to Everyday Jobsite Tools

For commercial real estate investors and developers, the appeal of construction robots is increasingly straightforward: they can take time-consuming, repetitive work off the critical path while allowing skilled tradespeople to focus on the work only they can do. As project schedules remain under pressure, contractors are beginning to use robots not as a distant replacement for labor, but as another jobsite tool to improve productivity and reduce physical strain.

August Robotics has deployed hundreds of robots across four continents, according to Alex Wyatt, the company's founder and CEO. Demand is rising as contractors look for practical applications that can save hours—and potentially days—on construction timelines.

The opportunity is not to fill a site with dozens of single-purpose machines, Wyatt said during a panel this week at the Blueprint conference in Las Vegas. Instead, the goal is to identify a small number of robots that can handle enough recurring work to stay productive throughout the day.

Focusing On High-Use Tasks

A construction project may include 25 tasks that a robot could theoretically perform, Wyatt said. That does not mean a project needs 25 different robots.

The key question, he said, is whether a machine can be fully occupied over the course of a workday.

"You want one or two that can do as much as possible," Wyatt said.

For example, one robot can drill holes while another performs a subsequent task, such as filling those holes with cement. For contractors, the value lies in using robots where work is repetitive, measurable and frequent enough to justify the investment and integration into a project workflow.

That approach could be particularly relevant for owners and investors focused on construction risk. Delays can add costs and complicate project delivery, and contractors often contend with schedules that leave little room for disruption. As Wyatt put it, "What construction site isn't always six weeks behind schedule?"

Building Flexibility Into The Technology

Wyatt said construction robots can be built from off-the-shelf products, which may allow companies to bring machines to market more quickly. But that approach can limit flexibility and tie users more closely to the ecosystem surrounding those products.

Companies that design and build their own robots can more easily adjust the machines as jobsite needs change, he said.

"They will have less flexibility, and that puts the owner into the robotic ecosystem based on those off-the-shelf products," Wyatt said of using existing products. "But if you design and build them yourself, you can tweak your robot more easily."

For construction firms, that distinction matters because jobsite conditions, trade workflows and project requirements can vary widely. A robot that can be modified or adapted may offer more value than a machine designed for only one narrowly defined task.

Keeping Skilled Workers On Higher-Value Work

The construction workforce does not necessarily view robots as a threat, said Brian Touchard, vice president of operations at The Poole and Kent Corporation, which has deployed robots on jobsites.

"By having robots work side by side with humans, your skilled workers can focus on practicing their craft without having to do some of the mundane tasks such as drilling holes," Touchard said.

The result, he said, has been meaningful time savings. Robotic processes are saving "a lot of hours—and days"—on construction timelines.

For workers, the change can also improve day-to-day conditions. Touchard said crews previously spent substantial time on dolly chairs drilling and filling holes, work that involved repeated vibration exposure. Reducing that exposure can make the work physically safer and less taxing, potentially helping workers remain in the field longer.

"Workers who used to carry a drill now carry an iPad, instructing the robots on their tasks," Touchard said.

Extending Construction's Technology Shift

Aaron Toppston, managing partner at GS Futures, framed the movement toward robotics as the latest stage in construction's long-running adoption of machinery.

"As more hours move from human hands to robotic hands, this is part of the arc of machinery in construction over the century," Toppston said. "Power tools have been around forever, and machines have been getting faster and stronger, and now we have this."

For commercial real estate investors, the immediate story is not a fully automated construction site. It is the growing use of robots in targeted applications where they can reduce repetitive work, support schedule certainty and help contractors make better use of scarce skilled labor.

As more deployments move beyond experimentation, the most valuable systems may be those that fit cleanly into existing jobsite workflows: machines capable of performing enough work to justify their presence, while leaving skilled workers free to focus on the parts of construction that still require human expertise.