Dive brief:
- Humanoid robots may not be a common fixture in today’s workplaces, but now is the time for builders to get started. game planning for future useaccording to a report dated October 17 by McKinsey and Co.
- The report paints a scenario with which contractors across the country are all too familiar: Fewer young people entering the field, skilled workers retiring and a physically demanding environment have created a qualified labor crisis in the industry The consultant also pointed it out pitiful gains in productivity over the past two decades, well below manufacturing and the global economy.
- In response, says McKinsey, humanoid robots could be the answer. With the advent of embedded artificial intelligence, better physical component technology and increasingly sophisticated AI models, these robots represent what McKinsey calls a “potentially transformative solution” to industry’s productivity crisis.
Diving knowledge:
For starters, contractors should start figuring out where humanoid robots could fill the gaps and help their businesses the most, whether by closing productivity gaps, reducing dangerous risks and supporting large-scale infrastructure construction, the report said.
According to McKinsey, current deployments focus on repetitive and moderately complex tasks in low-variability environments, such as mapped grocery aisles or staged interiors with identical layouts. But future applications could include installing pipes in tight spaces, installing sensors or moving earth.
The next step is to determine, as a builder, how quickly to move toward adoption.
Doing so could help position the company as:
- A first mover that pilots projects in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers.
- One of the first users to quickly scale proven models.
- A selective deployer that focuses on implementing use cases with a high return on investment.
Each type has its own advantages: an early mover could be seen as a trailblazer and attract talent, but could incur risks in terms of ROI. Conversely, selective deployers face the lowest risk, but potentially bet on falling behind their peers.
“With long-standing labor and productivity challenges likely to intensify, construction leaders would do well to begin considering the potential uses of humanoids now,” the report says. “If humanoids become a cost-effective solution, companies will want to move forward as quickly as possible. Those who prepare now will be in the best position to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Robots in the construction industry are not an entirely new phenomenon. For example, Granite Construction of Watsonville, California uses supervised autonomous machinery in its workplaces to improve your heavy machinery operators. So far, contractors have used Spot the Dog by Boston Dynamics to take photos and track job site progress, the Dusty Robotics design machine to perform design work six times faster than without the technology and Finishing robot for canvas plaster panels.
Contractors are also more receptive to their own companies’ forays into robotics. Positive ratings of the technology increased from 74% by 2024 to more than 95% by 2025, according to Chicago-based BuiltWorlds’ Equipment & Robotics Benchmarking report. However, the number of companies reporting the use of active robotics dropped from 65% last year to 46% now.
