René Morkos is the founder of ALICE Technologies and is an adjunct professor at Stanford University's construction engineering Ph.D program. Have no fear: Contrary to the opinions of pop culture and media, the robots aren't coming for your construction job. Although the findings of a 2018 study by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute (MEPI) indicate that nearly 49% of construction tasks could be automated (paving the way for the replacement or displacement of nearly 2.7 million jobs in construction by 2057), these estimates failed to anticipate significant trends affecting the construction workforce. These include, most notably, the "aging out" of skilled labor and a global post-Covid-19 labor shortage. According to data published in 2021 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 65% of workers are aged 35 and older, with 21% above age 55.

Robots have continued to make inroads into the construction industry. Whether due to a lack of skilled labor, or simply new tech becoming commercially available, companies continue to market robots and drones to contractors as options to perform important tasks faster and more efficiently. Here, Construction Dive looks at recent innovations in robotics that could potentially pick up extra slack or speed up jobsite work. This small, four-wheeled robot could aid contractors by carrying tools and materials around the site. A group of engineers at the Fraunhofer Italia Innovation Engineering Center (IEC) in Bolzano, Italy, are working on a way to adapt the Husky A200 to do just that, according to New Atlas.