China: Bots and Drones Build Highway

Building with bots with minimal human labor: China is taking the next steps here. However, the whole thing is not as futuristic as it sounds, because most "bots" are simply automated construction vehicles, for example from the company Sany. These can be steered with millimeter precision in principle and, in the case of a paving machine or roller, only need to follow precisely defined paths.

10,000 drones were coordinated

This is complemented by material delivery via drones: a swarm of about 10,000 drones was synchronized to deliver materials. As a result, the 157.79 km long highway was largely built by drones and robots. The deployed products are said to have performed the work precisely and, more importantly: coordinated themselves autonomously. This is how China would have set a strong sign in the construction industry as well.

High-speed rail lines can also be built very well automatically

Currently, a 314-kilometer long high-speed rail line is being built in Maharashtra, India, connecting the Bandra Kurla Complex station in Mumbai with the village of Zaroli. The completion of a 210 m long bridge between the high-speed rail stations of Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat was also announced, further improving regional connectivity. These developments underscore China's rapid progress in infrastructure technology and construction efficiency.

On the afternoon of September 27, 2024, the project manager Hubei Communications Investment, the general contractor of the project China Railway 11th Bureau, and the construction company Liaoning Guotai Road and Bridge jointly completed the unmanned, intelligent paving and rolling operation on the large-area road surface. All these groups are state-owned. The machines were provided by the Sany Group, a company for construction vehicles and machinery, as mentioned. Thus, the first large-scale unmanned road construction demonstration was successfully completed, marking a new step in the field of intelligent road construction in China.