Application of Robotic Technology for the Advancement of Construction Industry in Sri Lanka: A Review

The construction industry is one of the least automated industries, and robot implementation at the construction site is limited. Moreover, the industry has traditionally not been a favorable area for the application of robotics. However, with the discovery of more cost-effective applications and motives such as reducing the labor force population, the aging of skilled workers, and safety issues, their use will undoubtedly increase, especially in the developed countries. Robotic technology provides many benefits for the advancement of the industry while the local construction industry is not fully geared to entirely implement such increased technological applications. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the feasibility of introducing robotic technology for the advancement of the construction industry in Sri Lanka as a developing country. Hence, this paper aims to review the importance and application of robotic technology to the local construction projects by critically studying the secondary data on global construction automation and to further discuss benefits and challenges. The paper also presents a view on the application of robotic technology in the Sri Lankan construction industry by reviewing secondary data and basing this upon the opinions from the preliminary survey.