Jobsite Automation Trends to Watch in 2024

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Venture capital funding in the late 2010s fueled innovative autonomous solutions, which are now starting to hit job sites more widely. Automated jobsite solutions can enhance project team efficiency by reducing manual and repetitive tasks and leveraging data captured by the systems. Here are three key categories to pay attention to in 2024:

Equipment Safety Technology
Equipment safety technologies incorporate proactive safety alerts for employees, such as obstacle detection and automatic crash avoidance, reporting and data analytics capabilities, and solutions for equipment and operator protection.

  • SafeAI retrofits heavy vehicles with autonomous technology to enable safer, more productive worksites. They recently partnered with Obayashi to retrofit a Caterpillar 725, creating the first-ever electric, autonomous construction haul truck.
    Funding: They achieved Series B funding in late 2022.
  • Vita Inclinata provides modern technology solutions to the construction industry, including the Vita Load Navigator, a semi-autonomous dynamic load monitoring and control system that can eliminate worksite safety hazards.
    Funding: They recently secured $44 million in funding from 3&1 Fund.
  • RodRadar’s dig safety technology uses ground-penetrating radar integrations to detect underground utilities and alert operators.
    Funding: Rodradar raised $6 million in Series A funding in 2021, led by Brick & Mortar Ventures.

Service & Labor Robotics
Technologies in this space include material placement solutions, bricklaying robotics, and demolition technologies that replace manual efforts in a streamlined fashion.

  • Canvas has reinvented drywall finishing by creating an autonomous machine with AI/ML and Lidar/3D capabilities that can complete 40% of a drywall installation project.
    Funding: Canvas raised $24 million in Series B funding in April 2021.
  • PaintJet specializes in end-to-end painting solutions for industrial and commercial infrastructure by using robotics and advanced data.
    Funding: They secured series A funding in late 2023.

Automated Layout Solutions
These technologies accelerate the layout process by utilizing diverse methods to duplicate building layouts on the construction site.

  • Dusty Robotics’ FieldPrinter can print any combination of points, text, and lines directly from a CAD file.
    Funding: They secured $45 million in Series B funding in 2022.
  • Rugged Robotics brings rovers to job sites, which print hypervisible layouts on site floors to simplify layout through automation.
    Funding: They completed a Series A funding round in 2022.
  • LightYX’s product, BeamerOne projects 2D/3D plans onto construction surfaces to map layout to scale.
    Funding: They secured seed round funding in 2020, led by Shibumi International.
  • Mechasys’ FramR uses positioning technology to offer visual projection adaptable to any type of job site.
    Funding: Recent successful funding by Great Wave Ventures