ACTOR: Pioneering Automation in Construction Management

Arrival at the site

As the workers arrived, they were greeted by a series of info screens strategically placed around the site. These screens displayed real-time updates on project progress, safety information, and individual task assignments.

 A seasoned carpenter walked by a sensor that registered his entrance. He watched as the screen flashed his schedule for the day: framing walls on the second floor. 

He appreciated how the digital system automatically prioritized his tasks based on current conditions and team availability. No more calls or impromptu meetings with a supervisor to know what to do and where.

The robot controller and the data lake

A Boston Dynamics Spot robot was already on the move. Equipped with an array of sensors and a 360-degree camera, it autonomously navigated the site, capturing detailed 3D images and point clouds. It paused occasionally, scanning the half-completed walls and materials.

In addition to Spot, the site's elevators collected data on the movement of people and materials. The data was uploaded to the site's central data lake in real-time, updating the digital twin with the latest status.

The common vocabulary used by all the data-collecting systems made the construction process's digital twin possible. The vocabulary, scientifically known as ontology, defines how to describe processes and resources and how they connect. That way, you don't need a human to interpret and process the data to make it machine-readable.

Installation and materials

Meanwhile, the drywall installer was in full swing on the second floor. He had completed the drywall frame installation in one room and moved to the next one.

All the necessary metal studs and gypsum boards were nearby, neatly placed in stacks with QR codes. In the old days, the carpenter spent valuable time searching for the materials and carrying them to the correct spot.

The project logistics operator delivered the goods on time because their material management system had received an automated tricker from the digital twin to start the process.

A QR code reader had registered the delivery at the construction site's gate. The person delivering the materials kit used his mobile device to get turn-by-turn instructions outdoors and inside the final destination.

Managing the process

The site supervisor monitored everything from the central control room in the site cabin. With a few taps on his tablet, he accessed the digital twin and checked the overall progress. The system had already calculated the expected completion times for various tasks, adjusting the schedule in real-time based on the latest data.

The supervisor noticed a potential delay in the electrical wiring installation, as a shipment of materials had been held up. He quickly dispatched an alert to the procurement team and rescheduled tasks to keep the project on track.

Thanks to the constantly updated situation picture, the jobsite meetings were efficient, and the attendees could focus on critical issues.

Wrapping it up

As the sun set, the workers gathered their tools and returned to the central area. The site fell quiet, but the digital systems remained active. Spot and the drones performed one last sweep, updating the digital twin with the day's accomplishments and noting areas for tomorrow's focus.

In the control room, the site supervisor reviewed the day's progress. The data showed that they were ahead of schedule, thanks to the seamless integration of the ACTOR technologies. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and excitement. 

The workers felt motivated as well. They had completed their daily tasks without spending up to 80% of their time on non-value-adding activities, as was the case previously. Quality issues and rework were also down to almost zero.

This was not just a construction site but a glimpse into the industry's future—where technology and human expertise worked hand in hand to build more efficiently, safely, and precisely than ever before.

The improvements meant worker productivity doubled, material waste was down by 30%, and this project's carbon emissions were 30% smaller than those of a traditional site. These figures justified the project's investments in digital technology.

Read the report!

What we described here was based on the final report of ACTOR. It contains some pretty technical sections but is worth studying even if you're not a tech developer. For them, the report gives invaluable insights into the challenges of construction process automation and the solutions that make it possible.

Download the report below

ACTOR was supported by Business Finland's Low Carbon Built Environment Program, which received funding from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. The project partners were Aalto University, Carinafour, Flow Technologies, KONE, Trimble Solutions Oy, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.