Robots for Painting and Plastering Walls to Be Deployed at 50% of BTO Construction Sites Starting in 2025

According to Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How, robots are quickly becoming an integral part of the construction industry in Singapore – a whopping 40% of Build-To-Order (BTO) projects from 2025 onwards will feature them painting and plastering walls, with remote inspection and monitoring also being explored.

Using robots is part of efforts by HDB to improve productivity and safety at construction sites, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How on Oct 23.

Speaking at the Housing Board's professional engagement and knowledge-sharing forum at HDB Hub, he said that about half of new BTO sites will progressively tap robots for painting and some plastering from 2025. As Singapore continues its quest towards Industry 4.0 transformation – transforming traditional industries through innovative technology adoption – it appears evident that forward-thinking enterprises like HDB need start embracing advanced solutions now if they hope to stay ahead of competition tomorrow!

The plans are part of HDB's drive to improve overall productivity at public housing construction sites by 40 per cent by 2030. As at 2021, 26.2 per cent of that target had been achieved, HDB said previously.

The upcoming roll-out of robots at BTO sites will be done progressively, and follows 10 trials of such robots conducted across several BTO sites since 2023. These tests have shown promising results with enhanced productivity gain of up to 30% through the utilization of an architectural finishing robot in Yishun North.

This two-year trial project began in August, providing a thorough assessment of the robot's effectiveness on site. This two-year trial began in August last year with continuous observation and optimization to its full potential 2023.

The robot, designed for painting, plastering, and sanding, is equipped with sensors that allow it to map out its path on the construction site and maneuver through narrow spaces while performing finishing tasks on interior surfaces such as walls and ceilings.

During the forum with architects, engineers, builders, and solution providers, Mr. Tan stated that contractors who are not yet familiar with these robots will receive support from HDB. The agency will collaborate with suppliers to offer robots with painting and plastering capabilities on long-term contracts at competitive rates.

"We aim to make advanced technologies more accessible for our contractors and speed up the process of identifying, onboarding, and deploying the right robots at our BTO sites," Mr. Tan added.

According to HDB, the efficiency of these new robots is not yet clear, but Mr Toh Chee Boon from Hi-Tek Construction claims that two painting robots his company has been using since the start of 2024 have increased productivity by more than three times compared with human workers.

With one worker able to oversee multiple robots at once through a tablet interface, this frees up other tasks for employees. Not only are the robot's paint application skills superior due to its precise spray control, but it also results in higher quality workmanship overall.

As a result of their effectiveness and cost savings potential, Mr Toh plans to purchase additional units developed by China's Legend Robot – each unit costs $120,000 – for use on other BTO construction sites he's working on. Currently, it takes approximately 90 minutes to finish painting a four-room flat utilizing these robots; according to TOT Construction, the time frame which would normally require three workers to complete in around 70 minutes.

Mr Tan also referred to HDB's Construction Transformation Project (CTP) as a notable example of the agency's efforts to collaborate with contractors in using technology for safer and more efficient construction sites, particularly at BTO projects such as Garden Waterfront I & II @ Tengah where work began in February 2022.

In 2022, the CTP was introduced to bring HDB closer to its productivity target for 2030 by achieving a significant improvement in construction productivity at two BTO projects, Garden Waterfront I & II @ Tengah, where work began in February 2023.

During our recent visit to the Tengah development site on October 17th, we observed an autonomous tower crane expertly lifting precast components to their designated locations, further demonstrating the remarkable progress being made through this innovation-driven partnership between HDB and local contractors.

As part of this forward-thinking endeavor, HDB is dedicated to leveraging game-changing technologies like advanced sensors and autonomous machinery to revolutionize how BTO projects are constructed, ultimately leading to superior quality outcomes while minimizing waste and maximizing resources across all of its endeavors.

An operator in a cabin at the top of the crane initially manually controls the machine to lift a precast component. Once lifted, another worker on the ground uses a tablet to select the intended location for the component.

At this point, the robot takes over, transporting the precast piece to its designated spot on the residential block. Another device then rotates and aligns the component before it is manually lowered for final placement.

The Tengah projects also incorporate crane machine guidance technology, which enhances traditional cranes with a set of sensors that notify operators if two cranes are operating too close to each other.

Mr. Tan mentioned that enabling multiple cranes to work closer together helps accelerate construction timelines.

He noted that the results of the CTP are being closely monitored, and the key insights will be analyzed for large-scale use in future BTO projects.

However, he also emphasized that while robotics and automation are revolutionizing the design and construction process, technology cannot replace the human expertise involved in planning, designing, and building homes.

These automation initiatives have helped HDB increase productivity, according to Mr. Tan. The agency has been working to accelerate the supply of BTO flats after construction delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since 2021, it has launched nearly 83,000 flats and is on track to offer 100,000 flats by the end of 2025, he added.

He also mentioned that around 34,500 BTO flats across 43 projects have been completed since 2023.

In 2024, HDB introduced 2,800 flats with a reduced waiting time of about three years and plans to launch approximately 2,000 to 3,000 such flats annually moving forward.