The role of robotics and automation in improving safety and efficiency in construction
*Bhavinbhai G. LakhaniCorresponding authorlbhavin12@gmail.comDACK Consulting Solutions Inc.New York, 10606, USAView full profile → , Vikrant A. Patelvikrantpatel2050@gmail.comDepartment of Civil EngineeringSankalchand Patel College of EngineeringSankalchand Patel UniversityVisnagar, Gujarat, 384315, India0000-0002-0176-0381View full profile →
* Corresponding author · click or hover a name for details
- Received:
- 01 Jun 2026
- Published Online:
- 30 Sep 2026
- Article type:
- Research Article
- Language:
- EN
- Article no.:
- JIOS-2446
- Pages:
- 3491–3500
Abstract
This study investigates how robotics and automation improve safety and efficiency in construction, focusing on semi-automated bricklaying robots. The research was conducted in 2025 and combines interviews with 10 engineers and real data from a project that used a bricklaying robot: the University Arts Building at the University of Nevada, Reno (a $35.5 million project completed in 2018). The project used 100,000 bricks, of which the robot laid 60,000.
Reductions in injury risk, project duration and labor-intensive work were assessed with an adapted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a method for measuring environmental and other impacts, using OpenLCA v1.11 and ISO standards. Robots laid 2,000–3,000 bricks per day compared with 300–500 by hand, a productivity increase of about 400–600%. Heavy lifting was cut by 80% and injuries such as poor posture and strain were reduced by 50–70%. Stakeholders rated the need for workers to adapt and learn new skills as a major challenge. Policy recommendations include OSHA incentives for adopting robots, worker-training funds and updated safety rules for human–robot collaboration.
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References
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