26.11. Robotic Rebar Fabrication: Jaibot by Hilti (Global)

Jaibot is a semi-autonomous drilling robot designed to perform overhead MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) tasks, such as marking and drilling holes for installations on ceilings and slabs.

Jaibot is a special type of robot created to help with construction tasks that are typically challenging to manage manually, especially when dealing with overhead installations like electrical and plumbing systems. It doesn't completely operate by itself, but it can perform specific tasks without much human intervention, making it semi-autonomous.

Think of Jaibot like a robot assistant that helps a carpenter by drilling holes exactly where the plans say — much like having a smart drill that knows when and where to work based on a blueprint.

• Humans load design data (BIM) and supervise the robot’s positioning. • Jaibot performs precise drilling based on the data input, guided by cloud-based planning.

In the collaboration between humans and Jaibot, human workers are responsible for providing the robot with necessary design information through Building Information Modeling (BIM). This data helps Jaibot understand where to drill the holes. While Jaibot executes the drilling task, humans oversee its operations to ensure accurate positioning and functionality.

Imagine a situation where a teacher guides a student in completing a homework assignment. The teacher provides instructions and checks the student’s progress while they work. Similarly, the human workers guide Jaibot by providing the designs and watching over its work.

• Jaibot executed thousands of drilling tasks across multiple floors.

Jaibot has been used in a high-rise commercial project in Germany where it successfully completed thousands of drilling tasks. This showcases its effectiveness in managing multiple operations in a large construction site, allowing for quicker advancements in the building process without compromising quality.

Think of Jaibot as a high-capacity printer in an office that can print thousands of pages in a day, making it possible to finish big projects more efficiently than if each page were printed one by one by different people.

• Improved accuracy by eliminating manual layout errors. • Enhanced safety by reducing ladder and scaffolding work. • Reduced fatigue for human workers.

Using Jaibot in construction brings several advantages: first, it significantly reduces mistakes that can occur when humans manually mark layouts. This leads to more accurately drilled holes. Second, because Jaibot performs the drilling tasks, it lessens the need for workers to climb ladders or use scaffolding, enhancing their safety. Lastly, human workers experience less physical fatigue, as they are relieved from some of the strenuous tasks associated with overhead drilling.

Consider Jaibot like a safety harness in a rocky climbing area. Just as the harness protects climbers from falls and prevents them from getting overly tired while climbing, Jaibot helps workers stay safe and makes their work easier, allowing them to focus on more important and skilled activities.

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