Bouygues deepens robotics push to accelerate construction’s transformation

Bouygues Construction and Innodura have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at boosting the integration of advanced robotic technologies. Image: Bouygues Construction

In a press release, the companies said that, “the collaboration will contribute to reducing the physical strain of construction work, improving productivity and making the industry more appealing to younger generations.”

Innodura is a France-based SME that specialises in robotics, computer vision and AI. It designs solutions to enable a robotic arm equipped with a 3D camera to perceive its environment and adapt its movements and trajectories in real time. By combining 3D perception and AI algorithms, it develops the robot’s ‘brain’.

Bouygues has collaborated with Innodura for over four years on a number of automation programmes. These projects have explored practical applications of robotics in construction, such as carrying out complex tasks, working in constrained environments, integrating new safety standards and developing assistants able to perform arduous or repetitive tasks.

The solutions tested include an inspection robot capable of operating in restricted spaces (e.g. tunnels and nuclear power plants) as well as on conventional construction sites, and a drilling robot that can be used for installing thermal insulation.

The new partnership agreement specifically involves the creation of a multidisciplinary team of experts from Bouygues Construction and Innodura, who will be dedicated to developing construction site robots.

“This partnership is an important step in our strategy of useful innovation,” said Jean-Philippe Trin, Deputy CEO of Bouygues Construction.

“The technologies developed with Innodura will speed up the intelligent robotisation of our construction sites, improving performance, safety and the attractiveness of our businesses.”