Robot masons work with humans on a $52 million housing project in Illinois | bdcnetwork

A 166,000-sf barracks with 300 bedrooms for 600 military personnel is under construction at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois with the help of robots that can lay bricks every seven to 10 seconds and can lift and place foundation blocks weighing up to 135 lbs.

This $52 million project, started last March and scheduled for completion in October 2020, represents the debut of semi-robotic construction for the general contractor Clark Construction Group. Construction Robotics, a Victor, N.Y.-based manufacturer that launched in 2007, is providing the machines, which are called MULE (for Material Unit Lift Enhancer) and SAM (for Semiautomated Mason). Blinderman Constuction is Clark’s partner on this project.

This is also the first construction project in the country to use MULE and SAM technology in tandem.