Haulotte, a global player in people lifting solutions, has partnered with Builder Assist, a deeptech startup specialising in construction robotics, to boost the capabilities of access equipment. Together, the two partners are working on integrating Surface Assist, a robotic arm designed to perform several complex applications in the construction sector, on mobile elevating work platforms.
With Surface Assist, Haulotte and Builder Assist aim to address key challenges in the construction industry, including shortage of skilled labour, exposure to risks, access constraints and the tedium of undertaking repetitive tasks.
A robotic arm has been integrated into several Haulotte MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) models and is now being evaluated in real jobsite conditions. Tests focus on tasks with high repetitiveness, physical strain, and limited accessibility – notably overhead drilling and façade treatments such as painting and coating. This pilot-fleet phase aims to measure market interest and determine the operational value of robotic solutions mounted on access equipment.
“A construction robot only makes sense if it operates where work is most demanding and exposed. We are delighted to collaborate with Haulotte to combine working-at-height expertise with robotics innovation, serving real construction use cases,” says Alban Brisy, Co-founder and CEO of Builder Assist.
This partnership fully aligns with Haulotte’s innovation strategy, which aims to expand the role of MEWPs beyond access, by exploring new use cases driven by robotics, automation and digital technologies.
After an initial collaboration with AMBPR (Autonomous Mobile Blast Paint) on shipyard cleaning, blasting and painting operations, Haulotte is reaffirming its commitment to building a robust ecosystem of innovative partners to tackle complex, high‑risk, and hard‑to‑access applications.
“The collaboration between AMBPR and Haulotte since 2020 has led to the development of a unique robotic solution dedicated to cleaning, blasting and painting large vertical surfaces in the naval and industrial sectors. Thanks to the strong cooperation between AMBPR and Haulotte teams, as well as the reliability of Haulotte equipment, this solution enhances operator safety and reduces the environmental impact of operations carried out in particularly demanding environments,” says Stéphane Renouard, Founder of AMBPR.
Commenting on its partnership with Builder Assist, Haulotte’s Innovation Director Philippe Luminet says: “Embedded robotics opens up new perspectives for working-at-height applications. With Builder Assist, we are exploring solutions that can deliver tangible value on jobsites, by combining access expertise, automation and a deep understanding of field operations.”