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The Operation Brings Together Autonomous Excavators, Human Supervision, and Full Integration into the Traditional Job Site Workflow to Prepare an Industrial Area of 130 Acres, Marking the Largest Use of Supervised Autonomy in Mass Excavation Ever Announced by the Company
An American automation startup has launched what it considers the largest deployment of supervised autonomy in the construction industry for mass excavation with excavators.
The initiative is taking place in partnership with Sundt Construction, responsible for preparing a 130-acre site for a factory in the country. The company claims that this operation marks a significant advancement in the use of autonomous systems in construction, especially on large-scale projects.
In this project alone, systems from Bedrock Robotics moved approximately 49,796 cubic meters of earth. The equipment loaded articulated dump trucks operated by humans, following the same workflow used in manual operations.
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This integration aims to ensure that the process maintains the traditional dynamics of the job site, but with additional productivity benefits.
The technology is compatible with excavators ranging from 20 to 80 tons, allowing it to be applied to both compact machines and large earthmoving equipment.
This broad range of use is highlighted as a significant step toward commercial autonomous construction, making automation more accessible across different types of projects.
Dan Green, project manager at Sundt Construction, stated that automation directly contributes to daily work on excavation fronts.
He emphasized that by allowing Bedrock’s technology to handle the repetitive loading of trucks, specialized teams can dedicate more time to creative and strategic activities, where their expertise is essential for success.
Intelligent Excavation Solutions
The company’s main platform, called Bedrock Operator, is designed to allow excavators of various sizes to operate semi-independently. The goal is for the equipment to integrate into existing workflows, maintaining familiar processes for construction companies while showcasing the gains provided by automation.
One of the highlights of the technology is same-day reversible installation. This enables a quick switch between autonomous and manual operation, without causing interruptions in the progress of the work. The platform has also been designed to collaborate with human operators, performing repetitive tasks with high precision and reducing fatigue during extended work, especially in remote or large-scale areas.
Currently deployed at different locations in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas, the solution has been showing significant productivity gains. According to Bedrock, the system combines real-time task tracking, safety improvements, and accelerated schedules, positioning the technology as a transformative option for modern commercial construction.
Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics, stated that developing the technology on active job sites, alongside experienced contractors and their teams, allows for directly addressing the challenges that limit project capacities today. He emphasized that the proposal is to offer an intuitive and seamless solution for partners and clients.
Faster and More Efficient Construction
With the advancement of reindustrialization in the United States, the company points out that automation can help bridge the gap between the growing demand for infrastructure and the shrinking workforce in construction. In 2024, investment in manufacturing facilities in the country reached US$ 238 billion, according to Deloitte. Still, the sector faces a shortage of 500,000 workers.
Numbers also reveal that 1.25 billion hours are spent annually on operating heavy equipment. With about 40 percent of the workforce expected to retire in the next decade, there is increasing pressure for solutions that enhance the availability and flexibility of the labor force, as published by The Robot Report.
The Bedrock Operator platform integrates with machines and construction processes already in use, allowing projects to maintain their pace without interruptions. The technology accelerates schedules, enhances safety, improves profitability, and provides real-time monitoring of project progress.
In a move that reinforces its expansion, the company announced the largest deployment of supervised autonomy for mass excavation in the sector, conducted in partnership with Sundt Construction to prepare a 130-acre facility. According to TRR, the operation moved over 65,000 cubic yards of earth, maintaining the flow of manual operations.
In parallel, Bedrock completed autonomous excavation at a prototyping facility in Proto-Town, central Texas, a hub for hardware startups. This is the company’s second active deployment on a job site, part of ongoing supervised autonomy testing that, according to the company, paves the way for fully autonomous operations by 2026.
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