Trimble invests in robotic layout of civil engineering

Photo: Civ Robotics

Robotics is making its mark on construction layout this month with HP launching its SitePrint layout bot, and now Trimble Ventures announcing its investment in Civ Robotics. This investment supports Trimble Ventures‘ mission to invest in early and growth-stage companies that are accelerating innovation, digital transformation and sustainability in the industries Trimble serves—such as agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation.

Trimble Ventures is Trimble’s corporate venture capital fund, and its investment (terms were not disclosed) in the San Francisco-based construction tech startup is a significant indicator of confidence in robots’ ability to transform surveying layout for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.

CivDot is an unmanned ground vehicle designed to mark layout on civil engineering and infrastructure project sites. Photo: Civ Robotics

Trimble says Civ Robotics addresses the construction industry’s shortage of skilled workers, safety and productivity challenges with CivDot, a new autonomous surveying solution. CivDot is an unmanned ground vehicle designed for civil engineering and infrastructure projects such as solar farms, roadways, data centers, power plants and more. Augmenting the surveyors work, CivDot marks thousands of coordinates per day precisely and efficiently to deliver layouts faster than traditional methods.

“Robotics technology supports surveyors and field workers and helps remove the burden of repetitive and risky work,” said Aviad Almagor, vice president of technology innovation at Trimble and technology advisor for Trimble Ventures. “Civ Robotics uses Trimble’s high-precision GNSS positioning technology and surveying software to improve productivity and increase safety.”

“Trimble and our vision are in lockstep towards construction automation with a sharp focus on the highest standards of safety and quality,” said Tom Yeshurun, co-founder and CEO, Civ Robotics, which announced its $5 million seed funding round on September 21, 2022. “Through Trimble’s latest GNSS technology in our autonomous surveying products, our customers can benefit from an end-to-end workflow.”

Civ Robotics will be showcased during the Trimble Dimensions+ User Conference held November 7-9 in Las Vegas.