McLaren to deploy autonomous robot dogs across live sites

McLaren Construction is rolling out autonomous four-legged robots on its sites through a new partnership with FieldAI, following trials on live projects including the LSE’s 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields Passivhaus refurbishment.

FieldAI partnership targets site monitoring

The contractor will initially use Boston Dynamics Spot robot dogs fitted with FieldAI technology to capture 360-degree site imagery, generate point cloud data and support progress verification.

The robots will also be used for model-to-site deviation analysis, safety compliance patrols and quality assurance, with the range of tasks expected to expand over time.

McLaren said the partnership should improve project monitoring, identify installation issues earlier and strengthen the evidence base for compliance and quality assurance.

Robots to support productivity and quality

The company has already tested the robot on several sites. The two firms will now work together to meet UK regulatory and data security requirements as deployment scales.

FieldAI’s entry into the UK market is underpinned by its Field Foundation Models, which combine data-driven AI with physics-based reasoning and uncertainty quantification. The software allows robots to operate without prior maps, supporting infrastructure or pre-planned routes.

Adam Nicholson, group pre-construction director at McLaren, said:

“The significance of this deployment for the construction industry is that we can move beyond machines that are remote-controlled or pre-programmed for a limited range of tasks and routes. Instead, we now have autonomous robots navigating stairs, doors and other obstacles and constantly working with our human teams to support productivity, safety and quality.”

Source and image credit: McLaren Construction announcement