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This bricklaying robot can build walls faster than humans

The Semi-Automated Mason is a robot thats so good at building walls it could over the construction industry.
This bricklaying robot can build walls faster than humans

Meet the Semi-Automated Mason, or SAM, a robot that’s so good at building walls it could take over the construction industry. Created by New York-based Construction Robotics, the bricklaying robot promises to both increase productivity while reducing overall labor costs.

While the efficiency rate at construction sites has been stagnant for the past 20 to 30 years, manufacturing efficiency has increased significantly due to robotics and technology. Construction Robotics created SAM to solve that problem. SAM requires a human partner to smooth over the works, but the heavy lifting is left to the bot.

The robot can lay bricks at least three times faster than humans — and it never gets tired or makes mistakes. VICE News went to a construction site in Virginia to see SAM at work.

This segment originally aired July 19, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.