Meet the future of demolition, where precision meets power with cutting-edge demolition robots revolutionising the industry by dismantling structures at the end of their lifecycle with unparalleled efficiency and versatility. Jet Demolition elaborates on the role of demolition robots in boosting safety and efficiency.
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Demolition robots are a relatively new form of professional service robot used in the demolition sector to demolish buildings at the end of their lifecycle. These mobile robots leverage a range of end-of-arm tools such as breakers, crushers, drills, or buckets to break through building materials.
Kate Bester, Contracts and Project Manager at Jet Demolition, explains that, “This type of technology is used specifically where there is a risk of soil subsidence during sinkhole remediation. The machine operator is able to control the machine from a distance. However, there is a definite compromise on precision and reactivity.”
“For the most part, being able to read and assess a structure’s behaviour is paramount to the safety of the team, which is very difficult to do from a distance. For this reason, our use of remote-demolition practices is very restricted,” she says.
Often, remote-controlled techniques are reserved for instances where it simply is not practically possible to approach a structure safely using conventional demolition techniques, and a considered decision is made to approach the structure remotely, in the interest of safety.
Small excavators
A crusher suspended from a crane to crush concrete silo walls.
Most demolition robots resemble small excavators, minus the cab. They are designed to function effectively in constrained spaces and fit through doorways and stairways, for example. Demolition robots occupy 90% of the total market for construction robots.
They are one of the first commercially viable service robots to tackle applications in a traditionally labour-intensive industry. The value of the overall construction robot market was anticipated to be $321 million in 2022, with a global compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2016 to 2022.
In addition to demolition robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are one of the latest and most innovative automation solutions available. AMRs differ from automated guided vehicles (AGVs) by their degree of autonomy, with AMRs far more independent and adaptable than AGVs. They can navigate complex environments and avoid obstacles without the need for external guidance systems.
“Automating demolition is all about safety and efficiency,” says Bester, adding that it also has the potential to reduce cost for both demolition and construction companies. Robotic automation places human workers out of harm’s way and allows them to be more productive. While the initial capex is high due to it being a relatively new technology, the long-term return on investment and impact on health and safety more than offsets the initial cost.
“Our main concern is for the safety of people. Our methods, resources, and approach are all aligned exactly to serve this purpose. We have been in business since 1994 and have kept our focus on the main objective of completing a project safely, on time, and to international standards.”
While Jet Demolition undertakes most types of demolition work, its preference is generally for a mechanical application as a ‘best possible’ approach. This is in accordance with international best practice of separating workers from risk.
