SCOTT L. PETERS: So our system is called SAM for Semi Automated
Mason and it's been developed by our company, Construction
Robotics. The SAM system is working alongside masons helping
them install brick. They can handle a wide variety of bricks
that are used out there in construction; primarily for
veneer, commercial construction, most of your institutions, your
schools. It's really designed to help your commercial masonry
contractors increase their productivity and help reduce
some of the heavy lifting from the mason. The mason still works
alongside SAMs. They are still responsible for setting SAM up.
They're still responsible for striking the joints and ensuring
the best wall quality and using some of the knowledge and
the skills that they have but they don't have to have the
physical demand on their body that they might previously. That
can help even some of the older masons work alongside SAM and
not have to lift and place every brick. And we're successful here
and we can bring robotics and automation into the industry if
we can help construction as a whole be more successful. That's
really going to ultimately help the U.S. economy and even help
jobs in to the U.S. We can help provide a very interesting
dynamic aspect to the construction process where
you're using robotics and construction at the same time,
and you can really help attract young talent into the industry.
NSF's been an instrumental part of our work. It's really been
what enabled to us to go after and develop a high risk
technology like this. Bringing robotics and automation into the
construction industry is a challenge on multiple fronts,
one from both the technology side but also on the business
and implementation side and I think the ability for NSF to
come in and support that has been really what enabled
us to be able to pursue this technology and
enter this industry.
