ABB wants to use robots to build affordable housing

Engineering giant ABB Robotics has teamed up with UK-based startup AUAR on a project that will use robotic micro-factories to build affordable timber homes.

The micro-factories will use sheet timber to build energy-efficient buildings, and tackle skills shortages in the construction industry. AUAR has just completed a £2.6m seed investment fund, of which ABB Robotics is one investor. 

“The increasing capabilities of robots enabled by vision and AI, coupled with their inherent speed, flexibility and consistency, makes them the ideal solution for meeting the growing need for affordable, high quality, sustainable housing,” said Craig McDonnell, Managing Director Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics. “With 95 percent of building firms in our recent market survey describing sustainability as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their businesses, and 38 percent seeing robots as a way of reducing waste, our collaboration with AUAR opens new possibilities for homebuilders to deliver affordable sustainable homes at scale.”

AUAR hopes to cut cost by drastically reducing the number of components required to build a home—working with one type of material and one type of machine to simplify the supply chain. A robot in a micro-factory will cut standard sheets of timber into components and assemble them into units that can be transported to the site, enabling homes to be built in weeks. It builds on another collaboration between ABB and Porsche Consulting aimed at developing innovative new projects in modular housing.  

With the focus on the dual needs of building more affordable homes and minimizing the environmental footprint of buildings throughout their lifetime, automated modular construction presents "a great opportunity to rethink the way that the buildings are constructed,” added McDonnell. “Our collaborations with AUAR and Porsche Consulting mark an exciting step in our efforts to accelerate the use of robotic automation in the construction industry to help address its challenges and deliver the sustainable buildings of the future.” 

---

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.