Special Issue on Advanced Robotic Technology and System for DX in Construction Industry

In recent years, the labor shortage caused by the decline in the working-age population has become increasingly severe across various industries. The construction industry is also facing an urgent situation. Improving productivity is critical in response to this situation. In addition, domestic infrastructure is aging, and climate-change-related incidents such as heavy rainfall and landslides are becoming more common on a global scale. To address these challenges, digital transformation (DX) deployment must be accelerated, and robotic technologies must be efficiently utilized. Although various construction robot technologies have been developed to date, the robotization of construction and inspection work cannot be achieved using standalone technologies, regardless of their technological superiority. Today’s construction robots must function not only as standalone tools but also as part of a system integrated into construction and inspection methods, or even as a robotic system that operates throughout the construction site. From this perspective, we published a special issue titled “Advanced Robotic Technology and System for DX in Construction Industry.” It includes papers and development reports on robotics, mechatronics, and information system technologies relevant to the construction industry. We hope that this special issue will arouse interest in construction robots among researchers and engineers and accelerate the development of construction robots, related technologies, and DX in the construction industry. Finally, we express our sincere gratitude to the editorial board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, the editorial team at Fuji Technology Press Ltd., and all of the reviewers.