Involved in the Horizon Europe’s project Beeyonders, EBC played an active role in a workshop focused on digitalization, sustainability, and human-centric technologies in the construction industry at the Sustainable Places 2024 conference held on 24-25 September in Luxembourg. Moderated by our Secretary General, Fernando Sigchos Jiménez, the workshop brought together multiple European-funded projects collaborating within the TECH4EU Construction cluster, all working towards a common goal: tackling the construction sector’s challenges through innovation and collaboration.
The session titled “Exploring Digital Twins, Machine-Human Collaboration, and Sustainable Construction” featured the projects Beeyonders, HumanTech, INCUBE, REINCARNATE, and ROBETARME, all addressing different facets of modernization in the construction industry.
While each project brought its own unique perspective to the table, the focus was on leveraging digitalization, automation, and sustainable practices to make the sector greener, safer, and more inclusive.
The Beeyonders project: enhancing worker-friendly technologies
The Beeyonders project is focused on developing worker-friendly technologies aimed at improving safety, precision, and efficiency in construction processes. The project emphasizes the use of AI-powered tools and automation to reduce manual labour while increasing productivity.
The presentation of Beeyonders highlighted how the project is working to map and characterize its target groups to ensure that its technologies are accessible to a diverse range of construction professionals, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By focusing on ease of adoption, Beeyonders aims to bridge the workforce skill gap through the introduction of user-friendly tools that enhance decision-making and improve working conditions.
The project’s goal aligns with the broader theme of human-centric technology, aiming to make construction work safer and more inclusive through automation and AI-enhanced collaboration between workers and machines.
EBC is also a partner in the HumanTech project which focuses on using AI for full Scan-to-BIM automation, transforming how construction sites are monitored and maintained through digital twins and robotic systems.
Key themes from the workshop
Throughout the workshop, several themes emerged, reflecting the shared objectives of the TECH4EU Construction cluster:
- Innovation through collaboration: All five projects emphasized the value of collaboration in solving industry-wide challenges. This approach fosters a cooperative environment where knowledge is shared, and synergies between projects can develop.
- Digitalization and Automation: Digitalization was a core focus, with projects like Beeyonders and HUMANTECH e showcasing their research on the use of AI, robotics, and digital twins to streamline construction processes, improve precision, and reduce the need for labour-intensive tasks.
- Sustainability and Circular Economy: Sustainability was another prominent theme, with projects like INCUBE and REINCARNATE focusing on the use of sustainable materials, circular economy practices, and strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of construction.
- Human-Centric Technologies: The importance of human-machine collaboration was highlighted by Beeyonders, HumanTech and ROBETARME. These projects are working on technologies that not only increase efficiency but also improve working conditions by making tasks safer and more manageable for construction workers.
EBC’s role and future directions
As the representative of crafts and SMEs in the European construction sector, EBC’s participation in projects like Beeyonders and HumanTech underscores its commitment to promoting technological innovation that is accessible to smaller construction companies. By facilitating discussions on digitalization and sustainability, EBC is ensuring that SMEs can benefit from the advancements being developed within these European-funded projects.
Looking ahead, EBC will continue to support these collaborative efforts, promoting SME-friendly innovation and sustainability within the construction sector. The discussions at the Sustainable Places 2024 event demonstrated the potential for EU-funded projects to create lasting impacts, both during their lifecycle and beyond, as the construction industry continues to evolve.
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 101058548. |