COBOD Multifunctional Construction Robot
The multifunctional construction robot integrates a vertical telescopic unit and a robotic arm designed for shotcreting.
Overview
COBOD International, in collaboration with Technische Universität Braunschweig, developed the first commercially available multifunctional construction robot.
Built on COBOD’s 3D construction printing technology, the system integrates a telescopic vertical extension unit with a robotic arm that enables the Shotcrete 3D Printing Process (SC3DP).
Shotcrete is used to build complex concrete structures such as tunnels, swimming pools, and retaining walls.
The shotcrete arm supports interchangeable end-effectors for tasks such as sanding, painting, or insulation, while the telescopic unit provides vertical reach and positioning.
My Role
As a Robotics Engineer at COBOD International, I contributed to the development and integration of the robotic arm and control software.
Main contributions:
- Developed a Grasshopper-based inverse kinematics plugin for G-code generation.
- Developed a moveit2gcode ROS 2 node to convert MoveIt 2 trajectories into G-code.
- Integrated the robotic system’s servo drives with ROS 2 via CAN over EtherCAT (CoE).
- Implemented real-time motion control using the ros2_control framework.
Impact
The project expanded COBOD’s 3D printing technology into a fully multifunctional robotic platform, enabling automated shotcreting, sanding, painting, and surface finishing operations within a single construction system.
