Another rapidly growing field is the finishing stage of surface treatment, including tasks such as painting, plastering, and wall sanding. These tasks are at the forefront of robotic innovation, with significant impacts on safety, efficiency, and workflow in design and construction.
The idea of automation in the finishing stage is not new. One of the first robotic arms for painting was developed in the 1960s at the Trallfa factory in Bryne, Norway. The TR 400 model, with only two joints and an adjustable spray nozzle, was designed to reduce human exposure to toxic substances. In the 1980s, Japan further promoted automation due to labor shortages during a construction boom. Since the 2010s, companies like Okibo and Canvas have introduced partially or fully autonomous robots for finishing tasks.
Advances in complementary technologies such as sensors, machine vision, and artificial intelligence (AI) have dramatically increased the performance of finishing robots, accelerating their adoption. In 2021, the global robotics market in construction was estimated at just €85 million but is expected to reach €4.5 billion by 2029.
This growth is mainly driven by three factors:
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Acute labor shortages,
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Worker safety concerns, and
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The desire to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Among the most popular robotic finishing systems used on construction sites worldwide is the Legend Robot (China), manufactured in Shenzhen. It can fully autonomously paint interior walls and ceilings, covering up to 95% of surfaces. Measuring just 76x76 cm, it can pass through doors and narrow corridors. It uses sensors to avoid obstacles and paints about 200 square meters per hour, twice as fast as a human crew. A single robot can complete a four-room apartment in 60–90 minutes, and one operator can supervise two robots simultaneously. It has already been successfully used in apartment buildings in Singapore.
The MYRO Robot (USA) is another indoor painting robot. It takes 15–20 minutes to set up and begins with a 3D scan of the space. Users can indicate areas to avoid painting via a tablet. With a coverage capacity of about 93 square meters per hour, it is nearly ten times faster than a human painter. The company claims it reduces operating costs by 70%, saves 30% on materials, and speeds up completion by 60%. It can operate at night or on weekends for maximum productivity.
Canvas designed a robot that collaborates with humans to complete drywall finishing. It sprays joint compound in a single layer and then uses automated sanding to achieve level 5 finish, the highest quality standard. It features a suction system that captures 99.9% of dust. The latest model, 1200CX, has a base footprint of 76x88 cm and reaches heights of up to 3.6 meters, offering great flexibility. It reduces intermediate tasks by up to 40%.
The fully autonomous EG7 by Okibo (Israel) can paint, plaster, and sand walls. It weighs about 360 kg, has a width of 69 cm, and fits through standard doors. It uses AI and 3D scanning for navigation without BIM plans. It covers 93 square meters per hour, easily switches tools (sprayer, sander), and includes a dust collector.
