Australian bricklaying robot can complete a house in one day

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

Perth-based company FBR has announced that it has completed mechanical assembly of its first next-generation Hadrian X bricklaying robotic system. The latest iteration of Hadrian X is designed to be able to lay bricks at speeds of up to 500 blocks per hour, equating to up to approximately 120 m² of wall per hour. This has the potential to complete both the external and internal walls of a standard double brick house in a single day.

The new Hadrian X features a shuttle block delivery system designed to lay any existing commercially available block, as well as the ability to lay blocks not yet available measuring up to 600 x 400 x 300 mm and weighing up to 45 kg. The shuttle delivery system is also designed to be adaptable to handle other products such as roof tiles. The system also features a lengthened 32 m telescopic boom arm that provides further reach than its predecessor, enabling construction of walls three storeys high from the roadside as well as the ability to lay blocks within 50 mm of existing walls.

An improved design of the saw module of the next-generation Hadrian X enables it to make height, mitre and gable cuts to blocks, further increasing its capabilities.

The company says commissioning activities are expected to be completed by 31 March, after which the robot will be calibrated and tested before being utilised for demonstration activities for potential Wall as a Service (WaaS) partners domestically and internationally.

Recent tests include the completion of a structure with the Hadrian X in the Western Australian suburb of Wellard using Wienerberger Porotherm clay block, said to be the first time the materials have ever been laid by a robot in the undertaking of commercial, real-world work.

An outdoor pilot test undertaken in November 2021, also in Wellard, sought to demonstrate the robot’s ability to address the European clay-block low-rise housing market. According to FBR, the company could tap into a market with the potential for 700,000 new homes per year.