Autonomous construction robots have long been the subject of sci-fi fantasy, but recent breakthroughs in research and development labs around the world have brought this once futuristic vision a few precisely-controlled steps closer to reality.

Cornell’s Creative Machine Lab recently revealed a truss-traversing construction robot capable of winding its way across truss sections and even removing and replacing beams with minimal guidance from human controllers.

Robotic construction is an enticing alternative to traditional methods in that safety, efficiency, and cost come at a premium. Fleets of autonomous robots would be able raise structures faster and in more complex ways than are currently possible for the industry – potentially bad news for a sector experiencing over 20 percent unemployment. Whether further jobs will be lost to these mechanical minions will be an increasingly relevant question over the next few decades.

Via Technabob