Robotic approach to overcome traditional demolition and progress towards controlled deconstruction
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Abstract
The construction sector faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate its substantial contribution to global waste streams, with demolition alone generating a major share within the EU. Controlled deconstruction in sense of recovering components non-destructively for reuse offers a viable alternative to conventional demolition but remains labor-intensive and potentially hazardous. This paper investigates how on-site robotics can enable automated, safe, and material-preserving deconstruction through a feedback loop in a design-to-process flow. Building on robot-oriented de-/construction research, we develop and implement a robotic unbolting workflow tailored to reclaim beams from a modular steel demonstrator. The system integrates multi-sensor feedback to localize, align with, and remove standardized bolts under realistic construction site conditions. Iterative field trials demonstrate that the robot can repeatedly execute non-destructive unbolting without manual intervention, reliably recovering connection members while keeping workers at a safe distance. The results highlight the feasibility of robotic, controlled deconstruction and point toward future integration of sensing-informed autonomy within circular construction ecosystems.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 22 |
| Journal | Construction Robotics |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jul 2026 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| RIS | Ergin2026 |
|---|