The rebar-tying robot, TyBot, has achieved a new personal best record for 2022 for the number of ties on a single shift, according to its creator, Pittsburgh-based Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR).
Over the course of a work day, TyBot completed 11,044 ties, averaging more than 1,100 an hour, on Bridge 8a of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Gateway Expressway megaproject, which is adding a pair of four-lane elevated tolled roadways in Clearwater, west of Tampa.
The robot, deployed by Florida bridge rebar contractor Shelby Erectors, automatically locates and carries out rebar ties without a break and in any weather, day or night, thus relieving people of repetitive, back-breaking work. Its robotic arm, rigged to a gantry, uses machine vision to navigate bridge decks.
“A shift like this makes a real difference,” said Shelby Erectors’ chief operations officer Jack Nix. “When TyBot is moving this quickly, our crews are able to focus our full efforts on more complicated work. TyBot handling over 11,000 ties in a shift provides much-needed relief to us as our crews are pressured by labour shortages and schedules.”
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