A common topic in my videos is the tackling inefficiency and unproductivity of the
construction industry and the urgent need for automation. Nearly every single act
is performed by outdated manual methods. Take architectural and structural layout, for example.
After a concrete slab is poured, a tape measure is used to locate interior walls
and a chalk line is used to mark them. The Egyptians used a similar method 4000 years
ago when building the Pyramids! Marking walls is a critical, precise job especially if you’re using
prefabricated components. However, laying out chalk lines manually has a significant margin
of error that can add up for large projects. It’s also a tedious and repetitive task.
To tackle this simple but vital job, a Silicon Valley startup called Dusty
Robotics has created a robotic printer. Their FieldPrinter system takes in CSV, CAD
or dwg files and converts it into GPS coordinates. The system prints full-size floor plans with 1/16"
accuracy. It works on plywood, OSB and concrete. It can print different line styles like dotted,
dashed or solid, text labels and points. It can also print multiple trades at once.
For drywall components, it lays out framing and finish, soffit fascia, window heights,
door labels and swings. For mechanical components,
it lays out hanger points, floor penetrations and equipment anchors, full scale HVAC systems,
duct runs with finish heights and shop drawings For electrical components,
it lays out install heights, low voltage device layouts and electrical equipment.
It can also print mechanical penetrations through framed walls, room labels and finish schedules,
curves and radius walls, colored lines, offsets and grid lines.
When I first came across this robot, my initial impression was: ok, so it’s a Roomba that prints
drawings on floor slabs, so what? It’s such a simple idea, anyone can do it.
But then, I realized that its simplicity is its strength. I made a video recently on Katerra
and how it tried to automate everything at once and failed. Dusty Robotics realized how
complex and intertwined the construction industry is. They identified a single act and automated it
beautifully. Maybe this is the path to automation in the construction industry; tackling one act
at a time and then making them work together. Tessa Lau, the Founder and CEO of Dusty Robotics,
previously co-founded Savioke, the world’s first hotel delivery robot. Savioke’s complex robots
were taught to anticipate human actions, interact with us, learn how to enter and exit elevators,
etc. Tessa Lau has said the Dusty Robotics’s device is pretty dumb compared to Savioke’s.
They use just one sensor to guide them rather than an array of lidar, sonar and
cameras. However, their simplicity has allowed the company to focus on accuracy and speed,
rather than on complex interaction with humans. Another interesting story is how they came up with
the name Dusty Robotics. Initially, they wanted to build a clean-up robot, basically a Roomba for
construction sites that would sweep up dust and dirt. They soon realized that printing floor plans
would be far more valuable to the industry. Dusty Robotics says its machines can do work five to ten
times faster than humans at the same price. The robot eliminates manual error and construction
crews can build directly off the printed plans. Their system also generates reports detailing
exactly what was printed. It also has an inbuilt path planning and obstacle avoidance system.
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People on construction sites typically use these yellow tripods called total stations. This is
an optical surveying instrument that calculates angles and distances. It shoots a laser at another
person in the distance who’s holding a mirror. Dusty Robotics put that mirror on their robot,
so it spits out an exact distance within millimeters.
Chalk lines or spray paint used on job sites only last a couple of weeks.
Dusty Robotics uses regular desk printer ink that is very durable and sticks to concrete. It doesn’t
need a top clear coat to prevent it from rubbing off. Each printer cartridge lasts 3 to 4 days.
Printing multiple trades at once can identify issues like columns or load bearing walls
that weren’t built in the right place. Designers can start working around them
much earlier in the schedule. One of the disadvantages of these robots
is that it only prints on horizontal floor slabs, not on vertical walls or the ceiling. The heights
of windows, electrical outlets and light switches are printed in text on the ground. One of Dusty’s
competitors is a Canadian company called Mechasys. They have a device that projects markings with the
laser instead of printing lines. The issue with laser projections is that it's temporary. Maybe
we need another type of robot that etches or burns lines in drywall to mark locations.
Another disadvantage is dealing with the messiness of job sites. In all their promo
videos, the Dusty Robot is working on a clean floor which is very, very rare. We
really need another robotic cleaning company. The last disadvantage is that it doesn't rectify
human error. As the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. Poor quality input will
result in a faulty layout. You need to run clash detection software and go through your
drawings with a fine tooth comb before sending it to this robotic printer. Otherwise, it is
going to print your mistakes and you’ll end up drawing chalk lines to fix the printed layout.
The Dusty Robotics team of 20 people has created a pretty awesome robot. They recently raised $16.5
million in a Series A funding that will go towards improvements to the robot’s hardware and software.
I’m excited to see what the new versions of the robot will be able to do. Revit and other
Building Information Modelling software hold so much intelligent information that is lost
on job sites. This robot can unlock the barriers to BIM’s potential. Let me know what you think
about this printing robot in the comments below. I’ll link my Patreon page in the description. If
you can support me, I’d really appreciate it. A big thank you to everyone already supporting me.
Don’t forget to hit the like button and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching. See ya.