BIM-enabled construction robot unveiled by Hilti

Tools, technology, software and services innovator Hilti, has introduced its first-ever robot named Jaibot, created for semi-autonomous mobile ceiling-drilling.

Its job is to aid mechanical, electrical and plumbing installation contractors tackle many issues in the workplace such as productivity, safety and labour shortage.

With this creation, Hilti helps to provide a solution to transform construction sites to become digitalised.

Jaibot carries out its tasks by using Building Information Modelling (BIM) data. The robot comes cordless and boasts an easy-to-use system that does not require the user to have any expertise. It can accurately locate itself and then drill holes that are dust-controlled before eventually marking them. All of this makes it the ideal solution for the MEP trade.

In terms of productivity levels, the construction industry has lagged behind many other sectors for a number of years now. Things such as margin pressure and skilled labour shortages have become mainstays and provide a stumbling block for overcoming shortfalls in productivity. Opportunities in digitalisation such as the use of Jaibot aims to combat this. Jan Doongaji, who is a member of the executive board at Hilti Group said that this marks the beginning of the realisation that efficiency can be achieved with the adoption of digital transformation.

A paradigm shift is underway in the construction industry

It is very common to be overrun on time and budget, especially on larger projects. The integration of digitally planned construction projects helps to realise the significant gains that can be made with regards to productivity. BIM-enabled robotic solutions will help the process to become more transparent with improved execution speed, a performance that is constant along with a reduction in errors. Progress is able to be reported daily to the project office via cloud computing and potential conflicts between the trades involved on a site can be detected at an early stage and can then be limited, this will ensure more projects are delivered on-time and within budget.

Helping workers with more physically demanding tasks

Safety played a key role in the development of Jaibot. Its design is aimed at helping tradespeople that work in physically demanding and repetitive installation tasks, like drilling numerous holes for many types of installations. The worker can navigate the robot by the use of a remote control and uses reference data from a robotic total station.