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A digital construction platform in development at 91���� is boosting the retrofitting of building envelopes and giving builders the tools to automate the process from design to installation with the assistance of a .

Approximately 50 million buildings in the U.S. have poor thermal insulation. This leads to increased carbon emissions and utility bills. Improving them often includes manually installing better-insulated walls on top of the existing structure, which can be time-consuming and cause costly misalignment issues. 

ORNL’s PATH, or Pipeline for Affordable, energy-efficient and Time-saving Housing retrofits platform, automates each step of the process, from design to installation. PATH begins by generating a digital twin, or virtual model, of the building’s dimensions for the panel design and ends with a cable-driven robotic crane for installation. The digital twin, created by ORNL-developed algorithms, works in conjunction with the lab’s real-time building evaluator tool to provide precise measurements and ensure an airtight fit. The crane is computer controlled, eliminating the need for manual guides. 

“By designing a robot that can autonomously install panels on a variety of construction sites for mass assembly, we’re making the retrofit process fully automated from start to finish,” ORNL’s Bryan Maldonado said. “This reduces costs and expedites retrofitting and can potentially accelerate the process by fivefold.”

The robotic capability is anticipated to be demonstrated within the next year, with field deployment soon after.