Builder Assist develops Surface Assist, a modular, AI-powered robotic platform that mounts on standard aerial work platforms to automate repetitive construction tasks like drilling, painting, coating, and inspection. The system combines a 6-axis cobot arm with 3D perception and onboard AI to deliver up to 4x faster drilling, 24/7 operation, and zero worker height exposure. It integrates with Haulotte lifts and standard tools, with specialized variants for drilling, cleaning, painting, and inspection.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Construction sites face chronic labor shortages, particularly for facade trades, while repetitive tasks like drilling, painting, and surface preparation remain slow, physically demanding, and dangerous. Workers are exposed to height-related risks, silica dust, and other hazardous conditions, while manual methods limit productivity and quality consistency.
Solution
Builder Assist provides Surface Assist, a modular robotic platform that mounts onto standard aerial work platforms to automate repetitive construction tasks. The system combines a certified 6-axis cobot arm with 3D perception, AI computing, and tele-operation capabilities to perform drilling, painting, cleaning, sanding, and inspection work at heights up to 20 meters. It uses a télémètre and 3D sensors for precise positioning, enabling automated execution with ±2 mm accuracy and 3D before/after scanning for quality traceability. The platform is compatible with Haulotte lifts and standard tools, allowing a single operator to supervise multiple machines working continuously, including nights and weekends.
Target Audience
Primary customers are construction companies, facade contractors, and industrial maintenance firms that perform repetitive tasks at height and seek to address labor shortages while improving productivity, safety, and quality traceability.
Features
- 6-axis industrial cobot arm with 30 kg payload and ±0.2 mm repeatability, certified for construction use
- 3D perception box combining a télémètre (±2 mm @ 80 m) and 3D sensor (0.5 mm @ 30 cm) for precise positioning and environment understanding
- Onboard AI compute up to 2,000 TOPS with 6 cameras for tele-operation and autonomous task execution
- Modular platform compatible with Haulotte Star 6, Star 8S, and HA20 RTJ lifts, plus standard construction tools
- Six specialized robot variants: Drill Assist (automated drilling Ø5-40 mm, rebar detection, total station communication), Clean Assist (high-pressure washing, sandblasting, laser cleaning), Paint Assist (facade painting by roller or projection), Inspect Assist (thermography, 3D scanning, defect detection), Sand Assist (concrete sanding, coating removal), and Render Assist (external thermal insulation and sprayed coatings, roadmap 2030)
- 3D before/after scanning with automatic compliance reporting and full digital site archiving