Five years after it was first unveiled in the Czech Republic, the WLTR computerised brick-laying machine, called Walter, has finally arrived in the UK.
Walter is being used on a development of 27 houses by start-up developer JT Lifestyle Homes.
It is claimed that the robot, produced by GreenBuild, can lay up to 200 square metres of masonry per day 鈥� 10 times typical skilled human output 鈥� constructing walls up to 3.5 metres high without scaffolding regardless of the weather conditions.
There are plans to increases it reach to five metres.
The first demonstration model of the mobile robot was tested by Wienerberger Czech Republic and KM Robotics on a construction site near Prague in July and October 2020.
Wienerberger developed the specification, designed robot-ready bricks (which as a patented technology), and created the business model for the machine.
KM Robotics handled the engineering, focusing on hardware and software integration, user interfaces, mechanical design, prototype production and building simulation and test environments.
Walter has been brought to the UK by Czechoslovakian emigre Jan Telensky, owner and founder of JT Lifestyle Homes. He said: 鈥淭he construction industry is currently facing severe labour shortages at a time when the government wishes to deliver 1.5 million more homes. There are simply not enough bricklayers entering the trade to keep up with demand for affordable homes, so we must find new solutions.鈥�
He added: 鈥淩obot Walter鈥檚 cutting-edge technology has the potential to ease the burden and also create new, highly-skilled jobs for operators who will still be needed to oversee projects.
鈥淎s well as building faster, intelligent monitoring means Robot Walter鈥檚 bricks are laid with ultimate precision, which will enhance the overall build quality.鈥�
Once built, the Durham homes will be made available through JT Lifestyle Homes鈥� rent to buy scheme, allowing first-time buyers to use rental payments as a method of saving for a deposit.
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