Case Study: Autodesk pushes construction innovation with Universal Robots

Universal Robots Help Autodesk Push Construction Industry’s Boundaries For Human-Robot Collaboration

Autodesk, the software company serving the construction industry, needed a way to research new human-robot collaboration methods for tasks like drawing, assembly, and on-site construction support. Traditional industrial robots were too rigid and safety-restricted for the kind of flexible, experimental work Autodesk wanted to do, especially in rugged environments with highly variable materials and the need for close human interaction. Autodesk used Universal Robots’ UR5 and UR10 cobots for these projects.

Universal Robots provided Autodesk with safe, open-architecture collaborative robots that enabled quick iteration, command streaming, and work alongside people without safety cages. Using UR10 and UR5 systems, Autodesk built projects including the HIVE Pavilion, robotic drawing, a mobile construction-site assistant, and smart assembly experiments; the HIVE was completed in three days, and the team says the cobots’ safety and ease of programming helped them progress faster and take on more daring research.

Autodesk

Heather Kerrick

Senior Research Engineer