ACR’s IronBot honored with RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award

Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR) has been named one of the 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards recipients for the development of IronBot, the world’s first lifting, carrying, and placing concrete rebar robot.

Presented by The Robot Report, the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards have been recognizing innovations in the robotics industry for 12 years.

“The incredible work of this year’s RBR50 winners represents the cutting edge of robotics and raises the bar for the industry,” said Steve Crowe, executive editor, Robotics, WTWH Media.

All the honorees will be recognized and celebrated at the inaugural RBR50 Gala on May 1 during the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston.

“Receiving the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award highlights our disruptive solutions to reinforcing rebar installation,” said Stephen M. Muck, Founder and Executive Chairman of Advanced Construction Robotics. “This award endorses our technology and its impact on the construction industry to enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of infrastructure projects.”

ACR’s introduction into the field was TyBot, an autonomous robotic rebar-tying system. It was envisioned as the company’s first in a line of autonomous robotic construction equipment.

IronBot places rebar on the St. Lucie West Boulevard Bridge expansion project in St. Lucie County, FloridaAdvanced Construction RoboticsLast year, ACR released its second rebar-installing robot, IronBOT. While TyBOT, self-ties horizontal rebar intersections, IronBOT lifts, carries, and places rebar. Able to work day or night, combined, in what the company refers to as the “Bot Bundle,” the two robots can cut rebar installation on a project in half.

Check out Advanced Construction Robotics’ video below to see IronBot and TyBot in action:

This claim by ACR was proven in the field by bridge specialists Shelby Erectors on its Port St. Lucie West Boulevard Bridge project in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Preliminary estimates by the contractor indicated a 14-day installation for the rebar. However, during the project, IronBOT placed 147,032 lb. of rebar, and TyBOT completed 58,068 ties over 6.5 production shifts.

ACR says IronBOT can lay the rebar in 5,000 lb. bundles in a horizontal or longitudinal orientation without requiring any heavy lifting from crew members. 

Able to be installed on-site within four to eight hours, it can work on bridge decks ranging from 10 to 117 feet wide and rides on existing screed rail. The robots require no pre-programming, pre-mapping, calibration, or BIM input. It automates rebar placement based on the customer’s spacing requirements.

“We are deeply honored to be a recipient of the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards,” said Danielle Proctor, president and CEO of Advanced Construction Robotics. “This award reflects our team’s relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in robotics to enhance the construction industry’s capabilities, improve safety, and increase efficiency on project sites worldwide.”