An Australian innovation could make bricklaying by hand a thing of the past. The fully automated robot, aptly named Hadrian after the ancient Roman landmark in the UK, has been developed by Perth engineering company Fastbrick Robotics and can lay up to 1,000 bricks per hour. The robot can build the brick frame of a standard house in one to two days, 20 times faster than a human brick layer.

Image: Fastbrick Robotics

Using computer aided design and guided by an omni-track laser alignment system, the robot can lay bricks with 0.5 mm accuracy and is programmed to meet all BCA requirements. This precision allows other components of a house, cabinet joinery and other fixtures for example, to be prefabricated, and slotted in after the frame is complete, which can reduce the overall construction time by up to six weeks.

The robot is a complete system, with a conveyor belt for loading the bricks and a mortar applicator in the head of the boom. It can be mounted on a truck to make it mobile and transportable and it can work around the clock and on any size block. The robot can also be deployed to construct freeway noise walls and high rise noise walls. It also improves site safety and reduces waste.

The robot is an invention of Australian aeronautical and mechanical engineer Mike Pivac. A total of $7 million has been spent on developing the robot and the first commercial version will be available in 2017.

Watch an animation of the Hadrian, the robot bricklayer, in action.