Built Robotics Inc. is a

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, based

vehicular automation Vehicular automation is using technology to assist or replace the operator of a vehicle such as a car, truck, aircraft, rocket, military vehicle, or boat. Assisted vehicles are ''semi-autonomous'', whereas vehicles that can travel without a ...

startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

that develops software and hardware to automate

construction equipment Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large con ...

. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2016 by Noah Ready-Campbell and Andrew Liang. The company's primary product is the "Exosystem", an aftermarket kit that adds

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

robotic capabilities onto existing heavy equipment through a combination of

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

s, and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

technology.

Technology

Exosystem

The Exosystem began development in 2018 and was first brought to market in 2021. The technology is marketed as a means to enable autonomous

excavation Excavation may refer to: * Archaeological excavation * Excavation (medicine) * ''Excavation'' (The Haxan Cloak album), 2013 * ''Excavation'' (Ben Monder album), 2000 * ''Excavation'' (novel), a 2000 novel by James Rollins * '' Excavation: A Mem ...

, earthmoving, and pile driving. The Exosystem is installed on the tail of excavators. The company claims the Exosystem can be installed on machinery from

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

John Deere Deere & Company, Trade name, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, Transmission (mechanical device), transmi ...

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

, and other major manufacturers. The Exosystem advertises itself as consisting of an all-weather enclosure that houses the hardware and software needed to enable autonomous operation. Additional sensors such as cameras, GPS, and IMUs are mounted at various points on the piece of heavy equipment. The Exosystem controls the heavy equipment through the electric-over-hydraulic (EH) systems for autonomous operation or remote control. The Exosystem can be turned off, which allows the heavy equipment to be manually operated by a person inside the cab. As with factory robots, human robotic operators, referred to by Built as "Robot Equipment Operators" (REOs), must still start the system's initial operation before autonomous activities take control. REOs use a proprietary web-based platform, Everest, to supervise and control the robot. The REO can switch from autonomous to remote control mode, which allows an operator to move the robot through a remote interface. Built Robotics Everest

RPD 35

Built Robotics entered the utility-scale solar market in 2023 with the announcement of a new product called the RPD 35, or Robotic Pile Driver. The RPD 35 is advertised by the company as an excavator-based robot that can automate multiple steps in the solar piling process. The company claims that the robot can autonomously perform surveying of pile locations, distribution of piles, driving of piles, and generation of as-builts. Built utilizes a modified Caterpillar 335 by adding various main components: an Exosystem, pile-carrying sleds, and a custom-engineered hammer.

History

Proof of Concept

Built Robotics began attracting attention in 2018 as one of several new companies bringing automation to the construction industry, which had been relatively slow to adopt technical innovations compared to related industries. Commentators noted that a dearth of skilled workers available to fill construction and

heavy equipment Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large con ...

operator positions, coupled with a need for

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

renewal and

housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...

, were likely driving forces behind the industry's adoption of new technologies. Built Robotics claims to be the first of these companies to commercially deploy fully autonomous heavy equipment in construction settings. Founder Ready-Campbell, a former

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

product manager A product manager (PM) is a professional role that is responsible for the development of products for an organization, known as the practice of product management. Product managers own the product strategy behind a product (physical or digital), ...

who studied software engineering and had previously founded another startup,

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

, got his inspiration for Built Robotics from his father, who worked as a carpenter.

AI Guidance System

The company's first product was called the "AI Guidance System", which began development in 2016 and was first brought to market in 2018. The technology was marketed as a solution in the

and grading to enable skid-steers, CTLs, excavators, and

bulldozer A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large tractor equipped with a metal #Blade, blade at the front for pushing material (soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock) during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, ...

s to function autonomously. The company started out by expanding its market to other business areas on the functionality that the AI Guidance System can be installed on different types of existing construction equipment, including dozers and skid-steers in addition to excavators. Built initially focused their AI system on heavy civil, wind, energy, residential housing, solar, and utility work. In 2023, Built narrowed their focus on the solar industry by developing a pile driving robot for utility-scale solar projects.

Company

Financing

Built Robotics is currently a

Series C A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the p ...

startup company, having been financed through three rounds of fundraising from private venture capital funds. The company has raised a combined total of US$112 million through its

Series A A series A is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. It can be followed by the word round, investment or financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...

, Series B, and Series C financings. Investors who have contributed to the financings include

Tiger Global Tiger Global Management, LLC (often referred to as Tiger Global and formerly known as Tiger Technology) is an American investment firm founded by Chase Coleman III, a former Tiger Management employee under Julian Robertson, in March 2001. It ma ...

, Next47, NEA,

Founders Fund Founders Fund is an American venture capital fund formed in 2005 and based in San Francisco. The fund has roughly $17 billion in total assets under management as of 2025. Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration T ...

, Building Ventures, Presidio Ventures, Lemnos, and other investors. Notable advisors of the company include Carl Bass,

Jeff Immelt Jeffrey Robert Immelt (born February 19, 1956) is an American manufacturing executive working as a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates. He previously was the CEO of General Electric from 2001 to 2017, and the CEO of GE's Medical Systems ...

, and

Justin Kan Justin Kan (born July 16, 1983) is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder of live video platforms Justin.tv and Twitch, as well as the mobile social video application Socialcam. He was also the co-founder and fo ...

Patents

Built Robotics has a number of patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark office, including "Excavating earth from a dig site using an excavation vehicle;” "Obstacle detection and manipulation by a vehicle within a dig site;” and "Checking volume in an excavation tool".

Markets

The technology developed by Built has been deployed on job sites in multiple US states, which do not require regulatory approval for autonomous equipment used on non-public roads. In March 2020, the company announced that it would be expanding internationally with the onboarding of its first

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n client, MPC Kinetic. Notable customers and business partners include Black & Veatch, MPC Kinetic, Mortenson, and Sunstate.

Labor Relations

In March 2020, the

International Union of Operating Engineers The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a trade union within the United States–based AFL–CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and stationary engineers ( ...

announced a formal partnership with Built Robotics through which the union will train its members to use the Built Robotics automation platform, citing a steady growth rate in jobs for heavy equipment operators coupled with an industry-wide shortage of workers. In 2023, Built renewed their partnership with the IUOE, extending their strategic partnership through 2026. James Callahan, general president of the IUOE, stated,'' Our partnership with Built has and continues to receive very positive feedback, and we are excited to renew this agreement to provide our over 400,000 members with the advanced training that keeps them at the forefront of the industry".

Roin Technologies

In 2023, Built robotics acquired Roin Technologies, a company claiming to be the makers of the first automated concrete power trowel. Roin Technology focused on automating tasks within the concrete industry. Jim Delaney, Founder and CEO of Roin Technologies, joined the company. In the company's announcement, it was stated that the technologies underlying Roin's automated power trowel and shotcrete robot would be integrated into Built's software and hardware systems.