Legacy Horizon, Construction Automation and printing 3D homes and buildings using robots

From The Robot Industry Podcast · 00:39:24

Show by The Robot Industry Podcast

I first met Nhung Nguyen at an industry event in Kitchener-Waterloo. Her company is called Legacy Horizon. At Legacy Horizon, they believe technology has the power to transform construction, increase labour productivity and address the housing crisis. Nhung, for listeners who don't know Horizon Legacy, can you tell us a little about the company and how you got involved? And how did you personally go from the development side of the business to leading a company that's now developing construction robotics? People often describe this technology as “3D printing homes,” but I know you think about it much more broadly as construction automation. What's the difference? Building the technology — What did you actually create? You went down the path of using six-axis industrial robots. Why six-axis robots, and how is your approach different from some of the other construction 3d concrete printing systems some industry followers may have seen? Let's get into the robots themselves. What are VAL and DOLLY, and what do they actually do on a construction site? If I showed up on one of your sites, what would I actually see? What happens from the time the robotic system arrives onsite to the point where you're ready to start building? And what part of the building are the robots actually constructing? Where does robotics stop and conventional construction and trades take over? Building a robot is one thing, but building a system that can actually operate on a construction site is another. What did you have to bring together to make that possible? You did a lot of prototyping before putting this technology onto a real construction site. At what point did you know you were ready to move from the lab into actual construction? That brings us to Gananoque. Your company claims it's Canada's First and Largest Neighbourhood in Canada built with robots. You took the technology and deployed it on a real 26-unit residential development. Tell us about that project and what you were trying to prove and why? What did Gananoque teach you about deploying robotics in the real world that you simply couldn't have learned in a lab? Walk us through this development, what are the benefits and what has the response been from the community? Were there any surprises—technical or otherwise—that changed the way you approached the technology afterward? What have you learned about taking construction robotics from R&D and applying it to commercially delivered buildings? Where construction robotics fits in today's market When a customer comes to Horizon, they aren't buying a robot—they're looking to deliver a building. How does your robotics approach fit into that process? Does a project need to be designed around your technology from the beginning, or can Horizon's system integrate into a more conventional construction project? Are there certain building types or projects where the technology makes particularly good sense today? You've come at this from the perspective of a developer and builder rather than starting as a robotics company looking for an application. How has that influenced the technology and the way you're bringing it to market? You've proven you can deploy the technology on a real development. When you talk about “scaling” now, what does scale actually mean for Horizon? Does this differ from modular companies using robotics? As you look at the next generation of construction robotics at Horizon Legacy and the overall system, where is the technology heading? What still needs to be solved—for Horizon or for the industry more broadly—for construction robotics to become much more commonplace? You have a really multidisciplinary team. As you grow, what kinds of people and skills are you looking for? Down the road, 10 to 15 years from now, what do you hope construction sites look like? When you're not knee-deep in construction and robotics, what do you like to do? - Get ready for this, I call Nhung an adrenaline junkie. And if listeners want to learn more about Horizon Legacy or connect with you, where should they go? Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, and my business partner Janet. Special thx to my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree: linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON 519-716-2262

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