Haulotte, a global player in people lifting solutions, announces an innovation partnership with Builder Assist, a deeptech startup specializing in construction robotics. Together, the two partners are developing the integration of Surface Assist, a robotic arm designed to perform several complex applications in the construction sector, on mobile elevating work platforms.
Bringing robotics into real-world construction applications
With Surface Assist, Haulotte and Builder Assist aim to address key challenges in the construction industry, including shortage of skilled labor, exposure to risks, task repetitiveness and access constraints.
Integrated onto several Haulotte MEWP models, the robotic arm is currently being tested and tested in real jobsite conditions, where constraints related to repetitiveness, physical strain and accessibility are particularly high—especially for overhead drilling operations and facade treatment applications (painting, coating).
This exploration phase relies on a pilot fleet, with the objective of assessing market interest and the operational value of robotic solutions integrated onto access equipment.
“A construction robot only makes sense if it operates where work is most demanding and exposed. We are delighted to collaborate with Haulotte to combine working-at-height expertise with robotics innovation, serving real construction use cases.” — Alban BRISY, Co-founder & CEO, Builder Assist
“A construction robot only makes sense if it operates where work is most demanding and exposed. We are delighted to collaborate with Haulotte to combine working-at-height expertise with robotics innovation, serving real construction use cases.” — Alban BRISY, Co-founder & CEO, Builder Assist
Following AMBPR, Haulotte continues to accelerate robotics integration on MEWPs
This partnership fully aligns with Haulotte’s innovation strategy, which aims to expand the role of MEWPs beyond access, by exploring new use cases driven by robotics, automation and digital technologies.
Following an initial collaboration with AMBPR (Autonomous Mobile Blast Paint) for cleaning, blasting and painting applications in shipyards, Haulotte reaffirms its ambition to develop a strong ecosystem of innovative partners, capable of addressing complex, high-risk or hard-to-reach applications.
“The collaboration between AMBPR and Haulotte since 2020 has led to the development of a unique robotic solution dedicated to cleaning, blasting and painting large vertical surfaces in the naval and industrial sectors. Thanks to the strong cooperation between AMBPR and Haulotte teams, as well as the reliability of Haulotte equipment, this solution enhances operator safety and reduces the environmental impact of operations carried out in particularly demanding environments.” — Stéphane RENOUARD, Founder, AMBPR
“Embedded robotics opens up new perspectives for working-at-height applications. With Builder Assist, we are exploring solutions that can deliver tangible value on jobsites, by combining access expertise, automation and a deep understanding of field operations.” — Philippe LUMINET, Innovation Director, Haulotte
