Jaibot is a semi-autonomous, overhead drilling robot that executes its tasks based on digitally coordinated data directly from the BIM model or digital plans for a project.
Designed for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior finishing installation work and execution, the Jaibot increases accuracy while reducing potential safety risks associated with overhead installation. When marking and drilling, the robot automatically syncs back to the system to conveniently track the progress and update the project’s status with real-time data.
This system is entirely cordless, has a built-in dust removal system, and has an intuitive user interface that utilizes guided workflows to help ensure ease of use and easier ramp-up for the operator. Jaibot also includes a drill, vacuum, the PLT, and the digital layout system used to link the digital model to the field.
As seen with many other industries, digitalization has had a profound impact over the past decade while construction is still lagging. Digitalization — more than any other trend — will impact the entire construction value chain from the design to the operation of a building.
Automating repetitive and tedious tasks on and off the job site through robotic solutions is a step toward a digitalized construction industry.
Jaibot connects application know-how, relevant technology, the worker and simplifies bringing BIM to the field by now taking over the actual drilling task. This will not only help workers to be more productive and deliver more consistent output but also helps ensure they are working in safer and more efficient environments.
Installation quality increases while saving time and costs from coordinating multiple contractors and different applications for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation.
The construction industry is facing shorter project timelines, tighter profit margins, and a shortage of skilled labor — this drives the need to do more with less. Contractors are actively looking to technology to help protect their workers and drive productivity. Jaibot is a great example of technology that Hilti has developed to augment the skilled labor on projects and improve workers’ lives.
To use Jaibot, the operator drives the drilling platform to the working area and from drilling location to drilling location — once in position, Jaibot autonomously locates, marks & drills all the holes it can reach within a 6ft diameter. Jaibot has an optimal drilling range between 3/16” and 5/8” diameter holes and the ability to work with ceiling heights of up to 16.5’. Jaibot is ideal for faster, safer, and more accurate execution of digitally coordinated MEP or overhead grid systems on the job site.
Several factors influence the level of productivity that contractors utilizing Jaibot will achieve. Project constants and organizational factors.
Aspects of physical makeup of the building or requirements of the application that contractors have limited ability to change, such as: depth & diameter of anchor holes that need to be drilled, slab/ceiling type, and the amount of rebar or large aggregate. These factors will impact drilling productivity regardless of the method used (i.e., traditional vs. robotic), and Jaibot has proven to be significantly more productive compared to traditional methods when deployed under similar conditions.
Contractors can optimize to maximize the efficiency and productivity of a Jaibot deployment on a project. For example, the number of anchor/hole diameters required, the density of anchors, and project/schedule optimization. Contractors can maximize the productivity of Jaibot by standardizing the anchors used by all overhead systems to one or two types and combining the drilling for all overhead systems into a single task, thus limiting the number of drilling diameters required and increasing the number of holes that can be drilled at each location. In addition, by considering the robotic drilling for these overhead systems in the project schedule, contractors can limit the number of obstructions/impediments to drilling progress.
While the productivity of a Jaibot deployment varies based on the factors described above, contractors working under favorable conditions with optimized organizational factors have regularly achieved 500-700 holes located, drilled & marked by a single Jaibot operator in an 8-hour workday. When benchmarked against the average productivity for a two-worker crew utilizing traditional methods the expectation of an 8-hour workday is only about 70-100 holes drilled. Using Jaibot, contractors can significantly increase the productivity of their skilled labor force job site.
Jaibot syncs information as it executes the task of overhead drilling directly to the Jaibot project cloud — this creates a connection between the digital project ecosystem and the field as it pertains to the locating & drilling of overhead anchor holes; this is incredibly valuable information for the project and offers the opportunity to expand efficiencies beyond the simple task of overhead drilling, this information can be split into three main categories, namely:
As-built Anchor Locations
Even though Jaibot takes its drilling coordinates directly from the project cloud, the operator (as with any installation process) may be required to adapt to in-field conditions and modify the location of anchors based on site conditions. Jaibot records the actual location of the anchor holes drilled, and this information can be fed back to the BIM model to enrich the digital twin and improve the level of accuracy used in the design and preparation of prefabricated systems.
Quality
Jaibot reports on the status of the anchor holes that it has completed and gives the project team an insight into the quality of installation regarding the holes that have been successfully drilled to depth, aborted, moved, or failed due to rebar hits.
Progress
Jaibot enables live reporting on task progress which enables improved project scheduling, improved material planning, and better allocation of project resources.
By introducing technologies such as Jaibot to the job site, contractors will help attract new talent to the construction industry and enable tenured workers to extend their careers. Jaibot is a collaborative robot designed to operate with workers on-site and has the safety features and certification required. In order to support workers in upskilling so that they can take on new roles such as robotic overseer/operator Hilti has also established extensive training & implementation support services to help customers adapt their workflows and to help workers master the new digital technology.
In addition to helping single sub-trades with drilling and marking, this technology can also help to reduce preventable mistakes in the construction process; these mistakes can be the result of siloed data, failure in the communication of design changes or even different installation means & methods. If not identified, these errors can have a significant impact on the critical path of a project. By taking the coordinated digital data, combining the inputs from the different trades, and completing the drilling & marking in a single step, Jaibot eliminates significant potential sources of error, offering a more productive, safer installation process.
