In 2020, robotic tech company FBR’s (ASX: FBR) home building robot Hadrian X built house walls. In 2022, it upgraded to laying up to 500 blocks per hour. Come 2023, it has successfully built an outdoor structure while being operated by a tablet. This (hopefully) marks the final stage in its testing before Hadrian X can be deployed for commercial work.
FBR announced the Hadrian X robot has achieved a significant milestone by successfully constructing its first approved outdoor structure using large U.S.-format masonry concrete blocks. It accomplished this at an average rate of more than 240 blocks per hour for the entire structure. Impressively, it set a new speed record for laying blocks outdoors, reaching 326 blocks per hour, which is faster than what it achieved in indoor tests. Furthermore, the Company anticipates further improvements in laying speed as it continues testing it outdoors.
The advanced Hadrian X robot is equipped with a shuttle block delivery system that can manage large blocks measuring up to 600mm x 400mm x 300mm and weighing up to 45kg. It also has an extended boom reach, enabling it to construct buildings up to three storeys high from the roadside. FBR foresees that by using the right type of blocks for robotic construction and as the next-generation Hadrian X becomes more advanced, the robot will be capable of finishing the structural walls of a typical single-story house in just one day (as opposed to 2020’s four days).
FBR Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Pivac, commented, “We are very happy with how the next-generation Hadrian X® is progressing in terms of accuracy, speed and reliability. Our accuracy with the new functionality built into the next-generation Hadrian X is impressive, and our speed is already very commercially compelling, but we believe we will still improve in that area as the technology matures and we complete some large-scale housing projects. Most pleasingly, we are demonstrating very strong reliability, which is critical to the deployment of the first next-generation Hadrian X® to the United States, where we will commence our first international operations.”
He added, “The Fastbrick Wall System® is already certified by the ICC and the Florida Building Commission under the Florida Building Code, and there is significant demand for our technology in the United States that we wish to capitalise on as soon as possible.”
Due to lack of its commercialisation, the Company has been counting on capital raises to keep Hadrian X in the development stage. This year, on April 24, 2023, FBR advised that it had completed a two-part funding transaction with M & G Investment Management to fund the manufacture and commercial deployment of three additional next-generation Hadrian X robots designed specifically for expedited use in the U.S. Moreover, initially announced in March 2023, the strategic Share Subscription Agreement raised an aggregate sum of $9.14 million.
Standing at a loss of $22.8 million against a revenue of $1.6 million in FY23, it is perhaps time that FBR finally releases the Hadrian X.
FBR expects to have the robot on its way to the United States before the end of the first quarter of 2024. It wants to complete some more testing in the coming months, and will implement some additional improvements before initiating its international expansion.
Alinda is a Business Reporter for The Sentiment
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[…] finalizado una estructura con bloques de gran formato a un ritmo de más de 240 piezas por hora. The Sentiment va más allá y detalla que esa sería la velocidad promedio y en realidad llegó a alcanzar un ritmo bastante […]
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