AI-powered 20 foot robots coming for construction workers' jobs
Er, are we sure we want to outsource the welding?
Rise of the machines Construction workers could soon find themselves laboring alongside 20-foot (6 meter) tall AI-powered autonomous robots capable of welding, carpentry, and 3D printing buildings. What could possibly go wrong?
The RIC-M1 Pro robot 3D-prints a Walmart extension - Click to enlarge
Called Zyrex, the robot is being designed by RIC Robotics of Torrance, California. The company expects to have a working prototype in early 2026, and said it will mark "a significant leap forward in the evolution of robotic construction."
The 20-foot high general-purpose construction robot is, we're told, designed to have cognitive capabilities - which will be novel for that industry - and ultimately be fully autonomous in carrying out complex and delicate tasks across commercial and industrial job sites.
It is unlikely to be able to wolf whistle at passers by and does not require copious amount of tea... like Brit builders.
It will be equipped with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) plus visual sensors powered by VLA (Vision-Language-Action) AI models, to allow it to be deployed in dynamic job site environments, with human monitoring.
According to RIC Robotics, Zyrex is going to address a couple of urgent challenges facing the construction industry: a shortage of suitable labor, and the dangers of high-risk job sites.
It cites figures claiming the US will need to attract more than 439,000 skilled construction workers in 2025 to meet industry demand – assuming the country avoids a recession from Trump's trade turmoil – and to avoid further escalation in labor costs.
Meanwhile, it also points to figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicating the construction sector suffered the most fatal injuries among all industries during 2023 with 1,075 deaths.
We can't think of a better solution to improving building site safety than having a 20-foot robot trundling around under its own autonomous AI-powered control.
The company reckons that human operators will initially use VR and physical simulators to control Zyrex, while the robot gathers live data using LiDAR and visual sensors and compares it to digital building information models (BIM) to ensure accuracy and quality. Afterwards, Zyrex will move to full autonomous operation.
Unlike some other robots designed to mimic humans, Zyrex is purpose-built for construction, RIC Robotics claims. It is being engineered first and foremost for performing heavy-duty work such as handling materials, plus precision tasks including welding, assembling, 3D printing and exterior finishing.
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"We're not just building another robot - we're engineering the future of construction," trilled RIC Robotics founder Ziyou Xu. "With Zyrex, we're addressing the industry's labor shortages with powerful robotics capable of performing skilled work at scale," he added, poking fun at Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot as being more like the Iron Man in the Avengers movies.
Zyrex builds on capabilities already implemented in an existing 3D construction robot, RIC-PRIMUS, while an earlier model, RIC-M1 Pro, was used to 3D-print two Walmart warehouse extensions in Tennessee and Alabama. The latter was completed in seven days, three weeks ahead of schedule, the firm claims.
RIC Robotics estimates that the price for a Zyrex robot could be under $1 million, with monthly leasing options starting below $20,000. ®
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