The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Grainger College of Engineering has announced the creation of a research and development center dedicated to autonomous construction technologies. The initiative, funded by the US Army Corps of Engineers, will engage with research on self-driving construction vehicles and their integration into modern construction practices.

The Center for Autonomous Construction in Manufacturing at Scale (CACMS) will delve into prominent challenges in autonomous construction, including control systems, artificial intelligence applications, system architecture, and advanced manufacturing methods such as additive manufacturing. Vehicles ranging from traditional wheeled vehicles to tracked units will also undergo testing and development at the center, which will also hold a fleet of self-driving cars.

Within these fields, CACMS's primary mission will be “translational research,” aiming to translate innovative technologies into real-world applications benefiting both the US Army and the State of Illinois. To that end, the center will act as a collaboration hub for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center, using funding directed from Senator Dick Durbin’s office.

“This new center will provide leadership in translational research related to autonomous construction systems; support the growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems, programs and expertise; provide a community hub for emerging technologies; and help strengthen Illinois’ reputation as a technologically advanced and high-tech hub within the US,” said the center’s founding director Professor William R. Norris in a statement about the new initiative.

News of the center one week after we covered news of a domed timber pavilion in Germany assembled by robots. This year has also seen Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot equipped with ChatGPT to allow conversations with human companions, while in April, a report found that the role of artificial intelligence on construction sites is expected to surge in the coming decade.