Where has Construction Automation been successful?

Construction automation has proven successful primarily in two categories: off-site factory tasks like steel fabrication and precast concrete production, and on-site repetitive tasks that follow simple, machine-friendly paths. After analyzing 19th and early 20th-century construction trade journals, researcher Brian Potter found that most automation attempts outside these two categories have historically failed, despite ongoing efforts to reduce labor costs that currently comprise nearly 50% of single-family home construction expenses in the US.