Key Notes
- SCALAR and COBRAS have secured approximately €4 million each in EU funding.
- SCALAR pairs cranes with mobile robots while COBRAS explores robot swarms.
- The three-year research projects begin in November 2026.
The University of Stuttgart has secured approximately €8 million in European funding for two projects developing robot teams for construction sites. SCALAR will combine cranes and mobile robots to assemble timber buildings, while COBRAS will investigate swarms that put together lightweight structures designed for disassembly and reuse.
The university announced the awards on October 6. Both projects are coordinated by its Institute for Computational Design and Construction and are scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026, running through October 2029 under the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder program.
SCALAR Divides Assembly Between Cranes and Mobile Robots
SCALAR’s EU record lists a contribution of €3,997,296.25. Its proposed system assigns different parts of a timber assembly operation to machines working at different scales, rather than asking one robot to perform the entire job.
Retrofitted cranes would transport and roughly position wall, floor and facade modules. Mobile robots and specialized end effectors would then align the components, complete positioning and make precise mechanical connections using screws. The aim covers both new structures and facade retrofits on existing buildings.
Before work begins, the assembly sequence would be simulated digitally to test task allocation and the intermediate states of the structure. A shared control system would coordinate the machinery on-site. Crucially, SCALAR retains human supervision and control: the proposed change shifts people away from physical assembly work, rather than removing them from the construction process.
The project team includes Stuttgart’s Institute for System Dynamics, the Austrian Institute of Technology, Liebherr and Jekko. The university identifies reliable sensing amid dust, dirt and difficult lighting as a research priority.
COBRAS Targets Swarms and Reusable Structures
COBRAS has a separate EU grant of €3,999,913.67. Its approach uses electrically powered mobile robots to assemble and dismantle space frames: lightweight structures made from interconnected elements that can span large areas.
The researchers plan identical robots that coordinate dynamically through swarm intelligence, without a central controller directing every action. That design is intended to let a team grow or shrink with the job and continue operating when an individual machine needs maintenance.
The building system is being designed alongside the robots and their control algorithms. Components must be suitable for robotic assembly and disassembly, so they can be reused or adapted to another site instead of becoming waste. Partners include Stuttgart’s Institute for Structural Engineering and Structural Design, EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Lab and Université Libre de Bruxelles’s IRIDIA laboratory.
Research Demonstrations Come Before Commercial Deployment
Both EU descriptions target technology readiness level 4 demonstrations. SCALAR plans a full-scale multi-storey timber building section and a facade retrofit scenario; COBRAS plans a robot team assembling a space-frame structure. These are funded research objectives, with the systems still to be developed and validated.
RobotsBeat has covered McLaren’s FieldAI partnership for site inspection and documentation, and GS E&C’s pilots targeting transport and repetitive tasks. The Stuttgart projects tackle the next physical step: coordinating machines to position, connect and eventually take apart the building components themselves.
Disclaimer: RobotsBeat is an independent media brand owned and operated by NuvexMedia LLC, publishing news, research, and insights on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, automation, and related industries. NuvexMedia LLC invests in and collaborates with companies across the AI, Robotics, technology, software, and digital innovation sectors. These relationships do not influence RobotsBeat's editorial coverage, and the publication maintains full editorial independence to provide accurate, timely, and objective information. © 2026 NuvexMedia LLC. All rights reserved. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice.
