Prime Highlights:
A Canadian company called Promise Robotics is using AI-driven robotic arms to transform the construction process of homes in the country with the hope of solving Canada’s housing shortage.
Robotic arms can assemble walls, floors, and roofs independently without having to rely on laborers, reducing the construction time for a house by up to 50% to five months from several months.
Key Background:
In the face of Canada’s ongoing housing crisis, innovative companies are turning to robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate home construction. With growing housing demand and a shortage of skilled labor, companies like Promise Robotics are leading the way in transforming the industry.
Ramtin Attar, CEO of Promise Robotics, believes that robotic arms and AI will be key in helping Canada meet its housing goals. At the company’s facility near Edmonton, robotic arms—originally designed for automotive manufacturing—are used to assemble components of houses, including walls, floors, and roofs. Powered by AI, the arms autonomously read blueprints, determine the appropriate tools, and decide the necessary actions for construction, marking a significant shift in an industry that has traditionally relied on manual labor.
Attar points out that the construction sector has been slow to adopt digital and robotic technologies. McKinsey & Company reports that the $12 trillion global construction industry is among the slowest to embrace digitization. This is especially critical in Canada, where a projected shortfall of 3.87 million homes by 2031 presents a major challenge. Attar emphasizes that robotics can significantly reduce construction timelines, offering a viable solution to this housing gap.
Promise Robotics’ system can assemble entire sections of homes in a factory setting, reducing build time to approximately five months—half the duration of traditional methods. The system’s portability and cost-effectiveness have attracted interest from builders seeking to incorporate robotic arms on job sites.
Alongside Promise Robotics, Horizon Legacy is also advancing construction robotics. Their Val 2.0 robotic arm pours concrete to create insulated walls, reducing labor needs. While robotics address labor shortages, industry leaders believe skilled workers will remain essential for oversight and operation, opening up new opportunities for workforce training. These innovations offer hope for overcoming Canada’s housing and labor challenges.