Bricklayers’ perspectives on human-robot collaboration (HRC) in on-site masonry construction: opportunities, challenges, and considerations

Abstract

Purpose The Australian construction sector is experiencing historically low productivity rates, labour shortages and increased building costs. In bricklaying, highly automated industrial robotic solutions have not alleviated these challenges. Recent advances raise the opportunity for less costly, modular and safer collaborative robots (cobots) extended through augmented reality (AR). This study aims to understand bricklayers’ perspectives on working with cobots and AR; identify the opportunities and challenges for cobot integration on-site; and identify key considerations for on-site human–robot collaboration (HRC). Design/methodology/approach This study draws upon seven face-to-face semi-structured interviews with Australian bricklayers, including cobot users and non-users. A codebook-informed reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) resulted in three key themes. Findings The findings reveal a vital need for human-centred HRC workflows tailored to residential bricklaying. Theme 1 identifies HRC workflows as an enabler to address labour shortages and low productivity, increase workforce diversity and ultimately preserve the profession’s longevity. Theme 2 suggests HRC workflows must overcome site integration, safety and usability challenges. Theme 3 addresses design considerations for successful on-site cobot deployment. Complementary AR enhances collaboration by leveraging human capabilities combined with machine assistance. Originality/value Aligning the findings with the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study uncovers bricklayer perceptions and attitudes towards working with cobots and AR devices on-site. It outlines the challenges bricklayers’ encounter with an existing assistive robot system and key considerations for HRC workflows. Future research will focus on collaborating with bricklayers to design human-centred HRC workflows to improve adoption in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector.