The Texas Construction News staff writer
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Bedrock Robotics announced Nov. 18 that it has successfully deployed its autonomous construction technology on a 130-acre site, marking a significant step toward commercializing robotic mass excavation.
Partnering with Sundt Construction, Bedrock’s system has moved more than 65,000 cubic yards of material to prepare the site for a new manufacturing facility. The technology operates on excavators ranging from 20 to 80 tons, allowing them to load human-operated dump trucks without direct manual control. (The news release didn’t state where the project is located; Sundt Construction is based in Arizona and has operations in Alaska.)
“Developing our technology on active job sites with experienced contractors and their crews means we’re addressing the exact challenges that limit project capacity today,” said Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics.
The company aims to achieve fully autonomous operations by 2026, positioning the technology as a solution to the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage.
The statement says Bedrock has added Austin Bridge & Road to its partnership program. “Bedrock’s partners help to accelerate the adoption of autonomy across commercial, industrial, and heavy civil applications, while ensuring the technology is developed with visibility into the full spectrum of construction scenarios that contractors face daily,” the statement says.
“Safety is at the heart of all we do, and technology has the potential to further enhance the safe performance of work at our job sites,” Austin Bridge & Road executive vice-president Bill Heathcott said in the statement. “Our partnership with Bedrock Robotics has opened the door to autonomous equipment, a game-changer in next-level worker protection as well as increased efficiency and precision. Together, we’re exploring how this innovation could change construction for the better, help to solve critical skilled-labor shortages, and ultimately allow our crews to get more done.”
