ETH Zurich researchers demonstrated an autonomous excavator constructing a dry-stone wall six metres high and 65 metres long at the Circularity Park in Oberglatt. The machine, called HEAP, used sensors to map its surroundings, scan individual stones and determine how they could fit into the structure. The field demonstration brought robotic construction research into a working material-reuse setting operated by Eberhard.
The twelve-tonne excavator estimated properties including each stone's shape and weight, then selected placements and positioned the irregular blocks without mortar. Its planning system adapted to the available material instead of requiring identical prefabricated units. The work showed how autonomous machinery could use locally available stones and demolition material in substantial structures. The field demonstration integrated sensing, planning and manipulation on a real construction site, handling the variation in shape and size of reclaimed material.
