Implenia, the largest Swiss construction company, recognizes that digitalization unlocks value. Implenia and ANYbotics partnered to demonstrate the benefits of autonomous, automated robotic inspections at their Werdhölzli construction site. The outcomes showed ANYmal’s positive impact on building regulations, construction management, quality levels and worker safety. Read about how ANYbotics is supporting Implenia to realize their strategic digitized construction objectives.
Robotic Digitalization in Construction at Implenia. (The video is in German with English subtitles.)
A Construction Company with a Strong Digitalization Focus
For 150 years Implenia has developed living spaces, working environments and infrastructures across Europe. Their strategic plan is anchored in innovation and focuses on increasing safety, improving quality and growing productivity. Implenia understands that the future of construction lies in digitalization and has established itself as a significant player in digitized construction. Digital solutions enable better planning and collaborative work processes in construction projects.
Better Managing Construction Site Volatility and Risk
Construction sites are highly complex, dynamic, and potentially dangerous ecosystems. The constant movement of machinery, materials, and people pose major challenges to managers and workers. Workers can face different safety, efficiency, and technology challenges every day.
Construction crews need to balance productivity, scheduling and workforce safety. Robotics can assist us to do this better. Jens Vollmar, Head Division Buildings / Country President Switzerland, Implenia.
Construction sites are also exciting and vibrant places, where infrastructure is literally created. Implenia drives digital workflows focussed on increasing efficiency and productivity through customized Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction (LC).
The Implenia Werdhölzli construction site where BIM and LC are fully implemented.
Realizing New Technology Solutions in Construction
ANYmal enables numerous real-time digital inspection and data integration workflows. Implenia invests in cutting-edge inspection robot technology, such as ANYmal, to assess current capabilities and benefits from future applications. After evaluating other robotic solutions available in the market, Implenia approached ANYbotics to demonstrate the benefits of autonomous, automated robotic inspections. The collaborative project took place on their construction site at Werdhölzli, a completely 3D modelled site with no paper plans.
I saw multiple examples that I expected not to work, as we have had robots on site before, which exhibited multiple problems. I really liked that ANYmal was able to work around various objects that were spread across the mission routes. Yves Serventi, BIM Manager
The project focused on inspection mobility, autonomy, reliability, and data capture. Route planning included interest points, and terrain plotting. Equipped with photographic, thermal and acoustic sensors and an integrated Leica BLK ARC scanner, ANYmal successfully completed its missions, demonstrating:
- Autonomy, navigation and locomotion around rebar grids, stairs, water and obstacles
- 3D-laser scanning of the complete environment using the integrated Leica BLK ARC scanner
- Uploading the data to Implenia servers
The Leica BLK ARC provides detailed 3D-laser scans of the complete environment.
Progress Tracking with the Leica BLK ARC
The Leica BLK ARC is a high-precision 3D scanner which maps fast changing environments and creates digital twins. The easily installed sensor is seamlessly integrated into the ANYmal graphical operator interface. At the end of each day of construction, ANYmal consolidates the building progress overnight and sends updated 3D scans directly to customer servers via ANYmal Data Sync.
The Leica BLK ARC is mounted on ANYmal and integrated with the operator interface.
Enabling Robotic Inspection in Construction
Implenia is excited by the positive impact on building regulations, construction management, quality levels and worker safety demonstrated by ANYmal. Implenia further sees potential for special civil engineering disciplines such as tunnel building, where ANYmal determines the safety status of sites and performs certain tasks during detonations, for example. ANYbotics is working with Implenia to fully deploy ANYmal, integrate robot inspections and best support Implenia’s strategic digitized construction journey.
This partnership explores what can be implemented quickly, to maximize the quality, efficiency and safety of our current projects, and the potential of future applications for the digital construction sites. Jens Vollmar.
The Implenia, ANYbotics and ANYmal team enabling robotic inspection at Werdhölzli.
ANYbotics – A Swiss Robotics Innovator
Since 2016, Swiss robotics company ANYbotics has developed innovative, intelligent, and integrated robotic solutions that improve workers’ lives, increase productivity, and support more sustainable industrial facilities. Partnering with global technology leaders, ANYbotics provides autonomous, automated, end-to-end robotic inspection solutions, for complex, hazardous, and explosive industrial environments, to large asset operators. ANYbotics is a fast-growing company of over 100 employees focused on supporting the inspection needs of workers in oil & gas, power, energy, mining, processing, chemicals, transportation, and construction.