EDIT: the robot shown in the video is the Hadrian 105, the precursor to the Hadrian X.
There has been lots of robot talk in the past few years in construction, whether it’s trying to give humans the strength of a robot, 3D printing robots, or automated robots that can perform repetitive tasks on the job site. Masonry has been a sought after market for the robotics industry, it seems that there’s a bit of an arms race to the top of the robotic brick laying mountain. The latest competitor in this field is the Hadrian X, developed by Fastbrick Robotics in Perth, Australia.
The Hadrian X, named after the 14th Emperor of the Roman Empire who built the massive Hadrian’s Wall in Great Britain, can lay 1,000 bricks per hour, which is about double what a mason can lay in an entire day. That’s 16 times the amount of bricks per day. Interestingly, the Hadrian X doesn’t use mortar on the bricks, it opts to use a specifically formulated construction glue.
To operate, a fully automated robotic arm is attached to a 92 foot long boom, which is attached to a truck. The bricks are loaded onto the boom and systematically pushed down towards the arm, which is equipped with a conveyor belt. One by one each brick is placed with the help of a 3D CAD program. The machine can handle many different sizes of brick and block and is also able to cut the material, either to allow proper fit with the structure or to make room for electrical or plumbing lines.
Hadiran X brick laying robot via Youtube
According to the Daily Mail, the Hadrian X has been in development for around 10 years and has cost roughly $7 million to complete. The final product will be given its first tests in Australia before possibly expanding to different areas.
Below is a video of the Hadrian X making quick work of a block building, shared on Youtube by Gary Paull, who is also an Operations Manager at Fastbrick Robotics.
Full story: Bad news for Bob the Builder: Watch Hadrian X the robo-builder create an entire house in just two days | The Daily Mail UK
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