Automation in Construction in brief – 01/02/2025
Automation and Digitization
Chinese AI firms, notably DeepSeek and Alibaba, have rapidly narrowed the technological gap with American counterparts like OpenAI. Their reasoning models, such as DeepSeek’s v3 and Alibaba’s qwq, offer advanced capabilities at significantly lower costs. This shift is fueled by a permissive regulatory environment in China and a commitment to open-source practices, enabling faster innovation. As Chinese models gain prominence, they challenge Western dominance while fostering local ecosystems amidst geopolitical tensions.
Source: https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/01/23/chinas-ai-industry-has-almost-caught-up-with-americas
Urbanization is on the rise, with 25% of the global population now living in cities of over a million, up from 15% six decades ago. Economists typically praise this trend for its efficiency and innovation potential. However, a new study suggests that America’s economy would not differ drastically if no city exceeded one million residents; total output would only be 8% lower. While cities enhance productivity, their size may be less critical than previously thought.
Source: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/01/16/are-big-cities-overrated
de Oliveira et al., published in Automation in Construction, investigate the use of a crowdsourcing tool, Yet Another Metadata Zoo (YAMZ), to establish terminological consensus within civil engineering. The study identifies significant overlaps and ambiguities in terminology across the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sectors that impede effective communication. By facilitating collaborative term definitions, YAMZ shows promise for enhancing semantic interoperability and accelerating standards development, though broader stakeholder engagement is recommended for further validation.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926580524003637
An AI system developed by TH Köln aims to enhance the sustainable reuse of excavated material in tunnel construction, where over 200 tons can be generated per hour. By assessing geotechnical properties in real-time, the system enables precise classification of soil for various applications. Initial tests on a 50-meter conveyor belt yielded promising results, paving the way for improved resource management and reduced landfill dependency in future tunneling projects.
Source: https://www.th-koeln.de/hochschule/nachhaltige-verwertung-des-aushubs-aus-dem-tunnelbau_121677.php
Rosswag Engineering showcases the effective application of 3D printing in enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and weight reduction. A novel cutting tool holder developed with Karl-Heinz Arnold GmbH integrates multiple cooling channels, improving tool longevity by 300% and ensuring precise coolant delivery. Additionally, Rosswag’s “ForgeBrid” technique combines traditional forging with additive manufacturing to create complex turbine components. The company also supports student projects, producing lightweight yet sturdy parts for Formula Student race cars through iterative design optimization and advanced materials.
Source: https://www.ingenieur.de/technik/fachbereiche/3d-druck/tolle-teile-aus-dem-pulverbett/
Construction Robotics
The 17th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR) will be held from September 10-12, 2025, in Naples, Italy. The conference theme, “Emotivation at the Core: Empowering Social Robots to Inspire and Connect,” emphasizes the importance of integrating emotion and motivation in social robotics. Key dates include full paper submission by March 28, notification by May 9, and camera-ready submissions by June 30. Further details are available on the newly launched conference website.
Source: https://icsr2025.eu/
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have developed a novel embodied AI model, the PV-RNN, which mimics how toddlers learn to understand concepts through interaction. Unlike large language models that rely on vast datasets, this framework integrates sensory inputs—vision, proprioception, and language—to achieve compositionality with fewer resources. The model’s insights into human cognition and language acquisition could lead to safer, more transparent AI systems while addressing the Poverty of Stimulus problem in linguistic development.
Source: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-embodied-ai-reveals-robots-toddlers.html
Space Construction
Asteroid 2024 YR4, a 100-meter-wide space rock detected by an automated telescope in Chile on December 27, 2024, has been flagged as a potential impact threat to Earth in 2032. It currently has a 1.3% chance of collision, prompting activation of global planetary defense protocols. While experts believe it will likely pass harmlessly, ongoing monitoring is crucial for accurate trajectory predictions. The asteroid ranks three on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, indicating significant attention is warranted.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jan/30/asteroid-spotted-chance-colliding-with-earth-2032
NASA has awarded contracts totaling $24 million to nine American companies as part of its Artemis program, aimed at enhancing lunar exploration capabilities. These contracts focus on addressing logistical and mobility challenges in the lunar environment, with proposals featuring advanced robotics and autonomous systems. The initiative underscores growing interest in human space exploration and aims to establish sustainable operations on the Moon, paving the way for future missions to Mars.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has initiated a public call for technology development themes under its Space Strategy Fund, aiming to enhance Japan’s competitiveness in the space sector. Selected projects include research bases for detonation engines, next-generation solar power devices, and lunar resource development. The initiative seeks to foster innovation and human resource development while establishing a robust industrial foundation for low-cost space transportation systems through advancements in solid-state motor manufacturing.