ShieldBot hit a significant milestone at the European Robotics Forum 2026 (ERF 2026) hosted on 23-27 March 2026 in Stavanger, Norway, with the co-organisation of its first workshop titled “AI and Robotics in Construction: From Perception to Action”. Jointly organised with the Tech4EUConstruction Cluster, the workshop gathered seven experts from research and industry to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics can drive a more sustainable, digital future for the construction sector.
The workshop, held on the 24 of March, brought together three Tech4EUConstruction members: DISCOVER, RoBétArmé and BEEYONDERS, alongside ShieldBot, as well as two EU-funded projects: TARGET-X and XCAVE. These initiatives focus their research activities on robotics, automation, AI, and construction, developing solutions to face industry challenges and creating real-world applications.
Robotics in Construction: From Undeniable Potential to Real-World Implementation
The session attracted an engaged audience of over 70 participants, reflecting the growing interest in robotics and automation within the construction sector. After the project’s presentations, Jason Rambach (DFKI), main organiser of the workshop and ShieldBot partner, moderated the panel discussion featuring the speakers, in which participants from the audience contributed actively to the conversation. Among the topics discussed were the construction areas with more potential for robotics, the main challenges for robots in construction, or the current funding landscape.
The experts sharing the various research activities developed within their projects were:
- Sigrid Brell-Cokcan (RWTH Aachen University) represented TARGET-X
- Dimitris Giakoumis (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas – CERTH) talked about RoBétArmé.
- Antonio Alonso Cepeda (ACCIONA) presented BEEYONDERS.
- David Caballero Flores (CDEI-UPC Centre de Disseny d’Equips Industrials – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) showcased DISCOVER.
- Viktor Wiberg (Algoryx) spoke about XSCAVE.
- Sara Mata (IDEKO) introduced ShieldBot.
They described the use of robotics in a wide range of scenarios in the construction industry, from buildings to maritime infrastructures. The use cases highlighted the capabilities of robots to perform a variety of tasks: from mapping, to maintenance or excavation, in a reliable and autonomous way.
The message was clear: the potential of robotics to transform the construction industry is undeniable, yet we need to go further to accelerate innovation, collaboration, and real-world implementation. The importance of embedding a human-centric approach and sustainability principles into the development of every solution was also remarked.
Jason Rambach (DFKI) reflected on the session:
“For the fourth year in a row at the ERF, the Workshop on AI and Robotics in Construction was a great success as shown by the number of attendants as well as their active participation in the interactive part of the workshop. We were able to witness how early concepts have turned into reality over these last years, and how construction robotics are transforming from a niche domain into a key robotic application area contributing to efficiency, sustainability and safety in the sector.” – Jason Rambach, Senior Researcher and Team Leader Spatial Sensing and Machine Perception at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
ShieldBot at the Tech4EUConstruction Workshop at ERF 2026
The main objective of ShieldBot is to revolutionise the construction, renovation, and maintenance sectors with robotics.
During the Tech4EUConstruction workshop at ERF 2026, Sara Mata, Senior Researcher on Robotics for Manufacturing at IDEKO, the organisation coordinating the project, presented ShieldBot.
She explained how we are investigating and validating a new generation of robotic systems tailored to the industry’s unique challenges. These robotic systems will integrate groundbreaking advancements in robotic hardware, advanced control algorithms, eco-material applications, and AI-based dynamic modelling tools to enable thorough upfront planning and execution.
By addressing critical challenges such as environmental sustainability, resource inefficiency, and workforce limitations, ShieldBot will deliver adaptable, precise, and sustainable solutions that enhance productivity, quality, safety and environmental performance of construction, renovation and maintenance tasks.
ShieldBot at European Robotics Forum 2026
Beyond the workshop, ShieldBot partners from IDEKO, DFKI and AUSTRALO, actively engaged with the broader ERF community, attending workshops, sharing insights, exchanging ideas, and strengthening connections with stakeholders across academia and industry.
Humanoid robots that support cognitive stimulation tasks for seniors, drones to inspect offshore oil platforms, or robots to automate processes in manufacturing are only some examples of the cutting-edge technologies being developed to address the industry challenges.
But our partners also had the opportunity to learn more about designing robots for social acceptance, building sustainable and trustworthy cognitive robotics, and technology transfer and exploitation, especially in SMEs.
About European Robotics Forum 2026
The European Robotics Forum 2026 (ERF 2026) once again proved to be a cornerstone event for Europe’s robotics and AI community, bringing together over 1,000 researchers, industry leaders, and innovators to exchange ideas and showcase progress on the latest trends shaping the future of robotics in Europe.
About the Tech4EUConstruction Cluster
ShieldBot is a member of the Tech4EUconstruction Cluster. Funded in 2022 by BEEYONDERS, HumanTech, and RoBétArmé projects, and supported by the European Commission, the Cluster aims to develop and demonstrate new technologies to further digitalise and automatise the European construction sector, targeting to increase its safety and attractivity for workers.
The rest of the projects involved are: REINCARNATE, BIM2TWIN, InCUBE, HERON, DTERBIM, RECONMATIC and DISCOVER.