Instead of toiling away in the sun, rain and hail, construction workers will soon be able to catch a break as the bricklaying robot Hadrian X paves its way to commercialisation.
Robotics tech company FBR (ASX: FBR) has announced its collaboration with manufacturing company Liebherr USA Co. in Miami, Florida. Liebherr’s facilities will serve as a hub for servicing and maintaining the Hadrian X® robots, which are making their debut in the United States.
FBR Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Pivac, commented, “With FBR’s recent announcement that it is embarking on a Demonstration Program in the United States with CRH with a view to forming a joint venture with a pathway to 300 Hadrian X units, we are pleased that Liebherr USA has agreed to support us with a base to accelerate the commercial rollout of the Hadrian X®.
“Use of the Miami facility is of significant benefit to FBR and will allow us to demonstrate the capabilities of our technology to US builders in pursuit of a pipeline of work for the future Wall as a Service operating entity.”
The Company is known for developing robots, like the Hadrian X, which use Dynamic Stabilisation Technology® (DST®). Hadrian X builds structural walls outdoors faster, safer, and more accurately than traditional methods.
As per the agreement, FBR will handle the maintenance and service of the robots at Liebherr, while also sharing expertise on its mechanical and electrical systems. This partnership aims to fast-track the production of Hadrian X robots through a long-term Manufacturing and Commercialisation Agreement. The extension of Phase One of the Memorandum of Understanding by 12 months allows ample time to kickstart operations, meet performance targets, and finalise commercial terms for global deployment.
Pivac added, “Extending the term of Phase One of our Memorandum of Understanding will allow us the necessary time to get our robots on the ground in the United States, and give the Liebherr team who may be directly involved in the large-scale manufacture of the Hadrian X® robots the opportunity to work directly with them and build their hands-on knowledge of the technology by working with us to service and maintain them at their facilities.”
In response, the Managing Director of Liebherr-International AG, Stephen Albrecht, lauded FBR’s rapid progress, especially with the Hadrian X. He highlighted their shared vision for safer, more efficient job sites, emphasising the role of “automation and digitalisation”.
Recently, FBR received a payment of $8.7 million from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as part of its R&D Tax Incentive cash rebate for FY23. As a result, the $8.7 million revolving tax loan facility with FC Capital has been completely paid off. However, in the first half of FY24, FBR experienced a 51% increase in losses compared to H1 FY23, reaching over $19.7 million. This occurred against a modest 5% growth in revenue to $683.1k. As the Company transitioned its priorities from the US to Australia and increased its employee costs, it saw the financial repercussions of its decisions.
Hadrian X’s claim to fame was building the walls of a house in just one day—Walls-as-a-Service. Before you know it, an army of such robots will build an entire settlement in hours. Would that (eventually) help solve Australia’s ongoing housing crisis, making home-buying an achievable reality and not a distant dream?
Alinda is a Business Reporter for The Sentiment
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