The DISCOVER Horizon Europe project participated in the European Robotics Forum 2026 (ERF 2026), held from 23 to 27 March 2026 in Stavanger, Norway, coorganizing to the workshop “AI and Robotics in Construction: From Perception to Action”.
The workshop took place on 24 March 2026 and was co-organised by the Tech4EUConstruction Cluster, of which DISCOVER is a member. The session brought together European research and innovation projects working on robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies for the construction sector. The workshop gathered several EU-funded projects and initiatives, including ShieldBot, RoBétArmé, BEEYONDERS, TARGET-X, and XSCAVE. Each project presented its research activities and demonstrated how robotics, automation, AI, and digital tools are being applied to address key challenges in the construction sector.
During the session, DISCOVER was presented by David Caballero Flores from CDEI-UPC – Centre de Disseny d’Equips Industrials, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. His presentation showcased DISCOVER’s work on robotic and digital solutions for sustainable deconstruction, material recovery, and reuse, highlighting the project’s contribution to a more circular and resource-efficient built environment.
The session attracted an engaged audience of more than 70 participants, reflecting the growing interest in robotics and automation as drivers of innovation in construction. Following the project presentations, a panel discussion moderated by Jason Rambach from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) explored the potential of robotics in different construction areas, the main barriers to real-world implementation, and the funding landscape supporting innovation in the sector.
The discussion underlined that robotics has significant potential to transform the construction industry by improving efficiency, safety, precision, and sustainability. At the same time, participants highlighted the need to accelerate collaboration between research organisations, technology developers, construction companies, and public authorities in order to bring robotic solutions closer to market uptake and practical use.
A key message of the workshop was that the future of robotics in construction should be both human-centric and sustainability-oriented. Robotic and AI-based solutions must not only respond to technical challenges, but also support safer working conditions, reduce environmental impact, and contribute to more circular construction practices.
DISCOVER’s participation in ERF 2026 provided an important opportunity to present the project’s approach to the digital and circular transformation of the construction sector. By combining robotics, digitalisation, sustainability assessment, and circular economy principles, DISCOVER supports new ways to identify, recover, and reuse materials from buildings at their end-of-life.
