Imagine a smart robot that acts like an X-ray for old buildings, identifying exactly what materials are inside before they are torn down. Instead of treating a demolition site like a trash heap, this system creates a digital map of everything that can be reused or recycled. It turns old buildings into organized warehouses of raw materials.
Demolition is currently inefficient, treating buildings as waste rather than resource banks. This leads to high carbon emissions, hazardous material risks, and lost economic value from reusable materials.
The project built the Oliwall robot with a user interface and a small-scale portable LIBS analyzer capable of drilling for material identification.
If you are a demolition contractor dealing with unpredictable waste and hazardous materials — this project developed autonomous robotic platforms and AI analysis that reduce work-related injuries and optimize the sorting of materials for reuse.
If you are a BIM consultancy dealing with inaccurate as-built data for old structures — this project developed an automated scan-to-BIM process that creates a digital twin of the demolition site for better technical planning.
If you are a material supplier dealing with a lack of traceable recycled content — this project developed a digital catalogue and traceability tools to ensure the quality and origin of materials recovered from built works.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or cost structures for the Oliwall robot and LIBS analyzer are not provided.
The system is being tested in 4 different real demolition sites across Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Belgium to demonstrate its replicability and potential for wide geographical coverage.
Based on available project data, there is no specific information regarding the licensing models or patent status of the developed technologies.
The system integrates with industry standards by feeding AI-analyzed data into automated scan-to-BIM models and providing a user-friendly digital catalogue for decision support.
The project period runs from 2024-06-01 to 2028-05-31, indicating that full validation and final results are expected by May 2028.
The consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer, consisting of 14 partners across 8 countries. With a 29% industry ratio (4 industrial partners, including 3 SMEs), there is a strong link between the 4 universities and 4 research centers and the actual market needs of the construction sector.
Contact Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya for technical specifications on the Oliwall robot.
Contact SciTransfer to find a licensed partner for the LIBS analyzer technology.
