Go & See
Genchi Genbutsu—International Workshop on Robots in Construction
This workshop brings together industry practitioners, academic researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives to explore the social, economic, and policy dimensions of human-robot collaboration in the Swiss construction sector. The workshop follows the Japanese lean principle Genchi Genbutsu, often translated as “go and see for yourself”, which recommends that leaders go to where the work is happening to observe firsthand rather than relying on reports. While technical advances in construction robotics continue apace, the uptake of robots and automation across construction, from prefabrication and off-site manufacturing to on-site assembly and finishing, remains limited, and the human side of human-robot collaboration is still underexplored. Switzerland offers a distinctive vantage point on this issue: a high-wage economy with a strong tradition of vocational training, a highly regulated construction sector and an internationally recognized research base in robotics and digital fabrication.
The workshop aims to surface the drivers and barriers shaping robot adoption in Swiss construction, and to examine how issues of trust, inclusion, skills development, as well as health and safety are addressed when robots are introduced into construction workflows, whether in the factory, on-site, or across the wider value chain. Participants will share experiences from pilot projects and company initiatives, reflect on what has worked well (and less well) in keeping humans meaningfully in the loop and identify knowledge and policy gaps that merit further attention.
Discussions will be structured around four themes: (1) context and drivers, (2) attitudes and workforce experiences, (3) practice and evidence from the field, and (4) gaps and future needs. Outcomes from the Swiss workshop will inform a broader synthesis across the UK, EU partner countries (Germany and the Netherlands) and Japan, contributing to a shared roadmap for human-centered, safe and sustainable human-robot collaboration in construction.
Organisation: Prof. Ming Shan Ng (KIT Japan), Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger (ETH Zurich)
Host: Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger (Digital Building Technologies, ETH Zurich)
Contact: Prof. Ming Shan Ng ( ng@kit.ac.jp )
UK-JP-EU Human-Robot Collaboration Workshop, Switzerland
About the Human Robot Collaboration Network
The purpose of this network is to share and exchange knowledge and ideas about research and practices in human-robot collaboration in the construction industry, with the goal of building a consortium that spans the UK, EU (including Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland), and Japan, with the aim of developing a future funding application. The network also has a focus and shared interest in health and safety. Although research on human-robot collaboration is growing, it tends to focus on technical possibilities, promises, and the challenges that need to be overcome. At the same time, the uptake of robots and automation in production processes remains low in the construction industry. A key underexplored area lies in the human side of human-robot collaboration. Indeed, the social drivers of robot adoption differ across national contexts. For example, Japan, which is often regarded as a front-runner in the development and deployment of robot technology, is also among the first advanced economies to face a rapidly aging (and long-lived) population.
In other advanced economies, such as those within the EU, other social drivers may be at play, including labor costs in an environment increasingly characterized by a lack of skilled labor. The aim of the in-country workshops is thus to develop an understanding of the social and policy contexts that shape the uptake (or lack thereof) of robots in the construction industry, and to identify knowledge and policy gaps in human-robot collaboration in construction. The in-country workshops will be tailored to relevant parties per country and may include pioneer companies in the value chain, regulators and policymakers, academic researchers, industry representative groups, and others. The outcomes of the in-country workshops will serve as the basis for knowledge exchange.
Guiding questions may include, though not exhaustively:
Context and Drivers
● What are the key social, economic, and policy drivers in each respective country for adopting robots in the construction industry?
Attitudes and Experiences
● What are the social attitudes and workforce experiences in each respective country concerning the use of robots in the construction industry?
● How are trust, inclusion, and skills development addressed when introducing robots on-site?
Practice and Evidence
● What are the stories of success and/or failure in the adoption of robots in the construction industry (For instance, lessons from pilot projects, company initiatives, or regulatory trials)
● What factors contributed to the outcomes, and what can we learn from them? In keeping humans in the loop, what is the evidence of what works well (and less well) in human-robot collaboration?
Gaps and Future Needs
● Where are the knowledge gaps in relation to social, economic, and policy perspectives of human-robot collaboration, as perceived and experienced by each respective country?
● How do we potentially address these knowledge gaps? Who needs to be involved, and what knowledge needs to be developed, both fundamental and applied?
Workshop outputs and insights from these discussions will inform a collective synthesis across the UK, the EU, and Japan. This synthesis will inform a shared roadmap for advancing human-centered, safe, and sustainable human–robot collaboration. The workshop is supported by The Academy of Medical Sciences UK.
Agenda
| June, 1st | ||
| 10:30 | Institute of Technology in Architecture ETH Zurich https://ita.arch.ethz.ch/ | ETH Zurich, HIB Building https://maps.app.goo.gl/n52YgV4BrRM3H3rn8 |
| 12:00 | Departure to EMPA | ETH Hönggerberg, Bus Station |
| 12:30 | Lunch | Empa, Dübendorf https://maps.app.goo.gl/9GHAVG8PfeqA956R8 |
| 13:30 | Visit NEST Building (DFABHouse, HiLo) https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/ | EMPA, NEST Building |
| 14:30 | Workshop | EMPA, NEST Building |
| 16:00 | Closing | EMPA, NEST Building |
| 18:00 | Drink Reception | Les Halles, Zurich https://www.les-halles.ch/ |
| June, 2nd | ||
| 7:45 | Departure to Savognin | Zurich Center, Bus Station |
| 10:00 | Uffer Gruppe Introduction DFAB Timber in the Grissons Visit Automated Sawmill https://www.uffer.swiss/ | Savognin https://maps.app.goo.gl/htuJioY2eKSENMbm8 |
| 12:00 | Departure to Mulegns | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | Post Hotel Löwe, Mulegns https://maps.app.goo.gl/xzHQsyV4Xm4cSBrx8 |
| 13:30 | Visit Tor Alva – 3D printed Tower https://www.tor-alva.ch/en/ | Mulegns |
| 14:30 | Workshop | Mulegns |
| 16:00 | Departure to Zurich | Departure from Mulegns to Zurich |
| 19:00 | Drink Reception | Zurich (TBC) |