GMV takes to IC2 to showcase the potential of autonomous robotics and agentic AI to transform the construction industry

GMV took part in the first-ever International Congress on Innovation in Construction, Building, Infrastructure and Concessions (IC2), held in Santander, Spain. Ángel C. Lázaro, Industry Robotics and Automation Manager at GMV, spoke during the session “Applying Robotics to Construction” to share the company’s vision for the future of automation in the industry.

During his talk, entitled “Autonomous Robotics and Intelligent Orchestration: Toward Safer, More Efficient, and More Connected Construction,” Lázaro explored how advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems are enabling a shift from the automation of isolated tasks to coordinated operating models in which multiple robots, sensors, and intelligent agents work together to achieve shared objectives.

His presentation highlighted some of the construction industry’s most pressing challenges, including low productivity, skilled labor shortages, cost overruns, project delays, and high rates of workplace accidents. Against this backdrop, autonomous robotics and artificial intelligence are emerging as key tools for improving operational efficiency, enhancing worker safety, and enabling more data-driven decision-making.

One of the central themes of Lázaro’s presentation was agentic AI applied to robotics, a paradigm in which operators no longer program specific instructions but instead define high-level objectives that are interpreted and executed by a network of intelligent agents. Each robot is equipped with its own software agent, capable of understanding its capabilities, managing its resources, coordinating with other agents, and dynamically adapting to changes in its environment.

Under this approach, different types of robotic platforms (e.g. drones, quadrupeds, rovers, and future humanoid robots) can collaborate autonomously on a number of tasks, including inspections, construction progress monitoring, quality control, surveillance of high-risk areas, internal logistics, and automatic reporting. Combined with technologies such as building information modeling (BIM), photogrammetry, 3D scanning, and artificial intelligence, these systems pave the way for a more digitalized, connected, and data-driven construction industry.

During the session, GMV also presented uPathWay®, its intelligent platform for the management, orchestration, and optimization of heterogeneous fleets of robots and autonomous vehicles. Designed with a hardware-agnostic approach, the solution enables robots from different manufacturers and models to be integrated under a single operational layer, facilitating mission coordination, operational oversight, and the intelligent use of data generated by autonomous systems.

Key use cases identified for the construction industry include jobsite safety monitoring, automated tracking of construction progress through comparison with BIM models, early detection of quality defects, materials traceability, and monitoring of environmental indicators related to sustainability.

GMV’s participation in the event, organized by the Spanish Construction Technology Platform (PTEC), reinforces the company’s commitment to the digital transformation of the construction industry and to the development of technologies that support safer, more efficient, and more sustainable working environments.