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Robots on the Jobsite: Why Construction Automation Is About Safety, Not Pink Slips

Bedrock Robotics raised $80 million to retrofit bulldozers and excavators with AI—not to cut jobs, but to solve a massive labor shortage and make dangerous work safer, it says.

With construction sites across the U.S. stalled by labor shortages, San Francisco-based startup Bedrock Robotics announced last week that it has raised $80 million to deploy autonomous excavators and bulldozers, with no humans in the cab.

The company, which emerged from stealth alongside the announcement, retrofits standard heavy equipment with cameras, sensors, and machine-learning software designed to navigate rough terrain and perform excavation work with minimal oversight. Backers say it could help close a widening labor gap that’s delaying housing, roads, and energy projects nationwide.

Robots on the Jobsite: Why Construction Automation Is About Safety, Not Pink Slips

Bedrock Robotics raised $80 million to retrofit bulldozers and excavators with AI—not to cut jobs, but to solve a massive labor shortage and make dangerous work safer, it says.

With construction sites across the U.S. stalled by labor shortages, San Francisco-based startup Bedrock Robotics announced last week that it has raised $80 million to deploy autonomous excavators and bulldozers, with no humans in the cab.

The company, which emerged from stealth alongside the announcement, retrofits standard heavy equipment with cameras, sensors, and machine-learning software designed to navigate rough terrain and perform excavation work with minimal oversight. Backers say it could help close a widening labor gap that’s delaying housing, roads, and energy projects nationwide.

https://decrypt.co/330817/robots-jobsite-why-construction-automation-about-safety-not-pink-slips