Investing millions in automation
Spanish Scaled Robotics has shown promise in test projects. Now AF and OBOS are investing heavily in the company through Construct Venture.
The robot rolled into AF’s projects in 2018, and the software has undergone thorough testing of its functionality. The results and potential of the product have been so promising that AF and OBOS are now investing NOK 20 million in Scaled Robotics through the investment company Construct Venture in partnership with German investment company Surplus Invest. The German company PERI, the world’s largest manufacturer of formwork and scaffolding systems, is also an owner in the company.
“Scaled Robotics scans structures in the building project at all times, and registers whether you are building in accordance with drawings (the BIM model), and you get the opportunity to correct errors immediately. Deviations in the building process are a worldwide challenge that have huge costs for the sector,” explains Jan Fossgård, Director of Construct Venture.
Will prevent extra work
Using scanning and image recognition technology to create an overview, Scaled Robotics’ software can be used to identify errors and deficiencies in the structure and then report these. The progress and quality of what is being built can also be measured and reported. All of these are tasks that currently are done manually by humans.
“This increases efficiency for data collection and compilation, and frees up time that potentially would be used for extra work due to errors that need to be corrected or redone,” Fossgård says.
The investment is Construct Venture’s fourth so far, and the first in an international company.
“Scaled Robotics has developed a product we believe can contribute to improve the quality and efficiency in construction projects. This is a solid player with a very competent team who we strongly believe will drive developments in the right direction. Based on the interest in Europe, Construct Venture believes this is a solution with good commercial opportunities,” he says.
Won Startup competition
And there are others who strongly believe that this is the future for quality assurance of construction projects. During Startup Battlefield at the Berlin Disrupt conference in December, Scaled Robotics beat 14 international Startups and won NOK 500,000 in fresh capital for the company.
“Project managers currently have no quick and easy way to compare the construction model with what is actually being built, and this entails both risk and uncertainty in the construction process,” says Stuart Maggs, CEO and co-founder of Scaled Robotics.
“The tools currently being developed by Scaled Robotics can verify one hundred per cent of the elements being installed, and at the same time provide a detailed analysis of the construction process. We are very pleased to welcome Surplus Invest and Construct Venture to the team, both of which are investors who share our vision of changing the industry through a combination of robotics and artificial intelligence,” Maggs says.
About Scaled Robotics:
Scaled Robotics is a Spanish company that was established in July 2017. The company develops software that processes, interprets and compiles collected data (scans) of buildings under construction and where the software presents a valuable overview of deviations (quality control) and progress in relation to the BIM model using AI and machine learning.
About Construct Venture:
With its focus on growth companies through Construct Venture, AF Gruppen and OBOS want to contribute to establish a smarter and more future-oriented supplier industry in building and construction that also gives the industry competitiveness. The partnership is industrially supported based on smart capital, where AF and OBOS contribute with industry expertise, processes and well-functioning systems, in addition to financial strength. The companies are making their projects available for testing and developing technology concepts on a large scale.