TyBot and Brayman Construction selected as national finalist for 2018 Innovation Award
The TyBot / Brayman team was recently selected as a Top 3 National Finalist for the inaugural 2018 Innovation Award presented by The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). As finalists, the team will present at the AGC Centennial Celebration in Washington D.C. this October. At the celebration, the AGC is recognizing 100 years of service to the construction industry as well as future industry innovations and technologies.
TyBot, LLC’s integration partner, Brayman Construction Corporation is a large, nationally recognized provider of complex, heavy civil and geotechnical construction solutions with headquarters in suburban Pittsburgh.
Award entries were asked to present solutions to rising construction industry problems pertaining specifically to workforce shortage and lack of diversity, technology advancements, jobsite safety, sustainability, and project complexity. Applicants were judged on their ability to clearly identify one of these challenges with an innovative solution that is realistically adaptable to present day construction operations with the implications of a positive, long-term impact on the industry.
Steve Muck, Co-Founder and CEO of TyBot, LLC, and Jeremy Searock, Co-Founder and President, presented in the semi-finalist round of the Innovation Award at the 99th Annual AGC Convention held in New Orleans this past February. Their presentation showcased their first commercial product, TyBot, an autonomous rebar-tying robot that is a reliable, flexible, and scalable solution set to augment and reduce the labour need in the most critical path activity in bridge deck construction.
TyBot is a new tool forged out of the next industrial revolution, centred on robotics and artificial intelligence. Mr. Muck shared: “We think the industry is ready to accept the help advanced technology can provide. TyBot will work alongside existing construction crews, providing extra help in a labour market that needs more workers. We see a future where the robots will do the backbreaking, repetitive, and less safe work, while creating new types of jobs for existing workers like supervising, servicing, and maintaining these robots. These integrated crews will improve the productivity of the entire industry allowing the rising demand to be met.”
Historically, the construction industry is rated among the lowest of all major industries in terms of the investment in new technologies. With the adoption of advanced technology like autonomous robots, the construction industry could see significant increases in productivity and overall cost savings. TyBot is leading this transformation by proving robots can reliably, safely, and competently work together with crews using existing construction operations and practices. The productivity increase TyBot and future robots offer will provide the acceleration necessary to meet the increasing demand on the industry.
This is not science fiction or a concept for the future; TyBot is a product ready to join bridge deck crews today.
TyBot
TyBot is an autonomous rebar-tying robot for bridge deck construction that is now available to the heavy civil construction industry. TyBot ties the thousands of rebar intersections which form the frame into which concrete is poured and finished as one of the final phases of bridge construction. The robot will tie intersections continuously, day or night, rain or shine, and without breaks or injuries. TyBot is a reliable, flexible, and scalable solution to a growing labour shortage. Autonomous robotic technologies like TyBot are poised to help by increasing productivity and filling labour shortages, as well as improving safety, increasing profits and reducing schedule risk. TyBot is the first commercial product of TyBot, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based company that manufactures, leases and services autonomous robotic technologies.
Brayman Construction Corporation
Brayman Construction Corporation is a leading heavy civil and geotechnical contractor with office headquarters in suburban Pittsburgh. Incorporated in 1947, Brayman has grown, diversified and evolved its construction services from a small bridge and concrete company to a large, nationally recognized provider of complex, heavy civil construction projects servicing both public and private sector clients.
The Company has expertise in a wide variety of projects including large scale complex bridges, deep foundation, marine and dam construction and rehabilitation, complex and heavy steel erection and rehabilitation, and demolition services. Brayman is currently ranked #13 on the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Largest Pittsburgh-area Construction Contractors list and ranked #47 on the Largest Pittsburgh-area Private Companies list, as well as #45 on the Engineering News Record’s (ENR) MidAtlantic Top Contractors list and is newly ranked #3 in West Virginia and #10 in Pennsylvania on the ENR MidAtlantic Specialty Contractor List.
