As Saudi Arabia continues to reshape its desert landscape with an incredible number of ambitious construction projects, it has employed some high-tech robotic help to increase efficiency and speed things up.
To recap, Neom is the main project spearheading Saudi Arabia's push to transform its predominantly oil-based economy into a tourism-focused one as fossil fuel use is inevitably reduced in the coming years. Some of the most notable projects that are under this Neom umbrella include the Line megacity and twin skyscrapers Epicon. Obviously, building all this takes a lot of materials and also a lot of people. The idea behind the move into automated robotics then, is that it will reduce both.
With this in mind, Neom's strategic investment arm, the Neom Investment Fund (NIF), has made a significant investment in Europe's GMT Robotics.
Finer details on the type of robots being used or their functions have not yet been revealed, but clearly the production of rebar (the reinforcing rods used in concrete construction) will be a major focus, which makes sense since Neom is currently using around 20% of the world's steel supply.
"Having worked in the rebar industry in various forms for the past 30 years, it is very exciting to reach a point where the large-scale adoption of robotics and automation to improve the rebar process is happening," explains Ulrich Deichmann, CEO of GMT Robotics. "We share in Neom's ambition to rethink how construction is delivered and look forward to a highly successful partnership that will help revolutionize the construction industry.
"The benefits of robotics application within the construction sector are numerous. They include boosting task efficiency, reducing operating costs, improving health and safety, and optimizing design flexibility."
The news comes following Neom's recent investment into concrete production and its construction of a multi-plant concrete factory. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has won its FIFA World Cup 2034 soccer tournament bid, so we can expect the region's construction to increase even further over the coming decade.
