An autonomous floor-cleaning robot navigates around an obstacle (top right) at a Lotte Engineering & Construction site before returning to its charging station on its own (bottom right). [Lotte Engineering & Construction]
An autonomous floor-cleaning robot navigates around an obstacle (top right) at a Lotte Engineering & Construction site before returning to its charging station on its own (bottom right). [Lotte Engineering & Construction]

Lotte Engineering & Construction announced Wednesday that it is deploying autonomous floor-cleaning robots at its construction sites to reduce repetitive manual work and boost operational efficiency.

At most construction sites, workers have traditionally handled cleaning by hand — collecting debris and removing dust with vacuum equipment. The process generates large amounts of fine dust, forcing workers to wear respirator masks even in sweltering heat.

To address the problem, Lotte Engineering & Construction partnered with robotics firm TXR Robotics. The company completed a proof-of-concept trial of the autonomous cleaning robot at its Incheon Hyosung district urban development residential complex Block 4 site, currently under construction, and has begun deploying the robot in actual operations. It plans to expand use of the robot to final cleaning work at sites nearing completion.

The robot uses a pre-loaded site map to independently learn spatial information and cleaning zones, then autonomously cleans designated areas. After clearing ordinary debris and dust, it returns to its charging station on its own. It detects workers and obstacles during operation and safely navigates around them. Built-in lighting allows unmanned operation even at night when natural light is insufficient.

"Introducing the autonomous cleaning robot replaces simple, repetitive cleaning tasks and creates an environment where site workers can focus more on core construction work," a Lotte Engineering & Construction official said. "We expect it to improve work efficiency as well as the overall working conditions for our employees."

Meanwhile, Lotte Engineering & Construction is also conducting proof-of-concept projects with startups aimed at improving residential performance, including reducing floor noise between apartment units. The company has secured 620 million won ($423,000) in proof-of-concept funding through public institution support programs.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com