The main purpose of this paper is to report on four construction robots developed by the Shimizu Construction Company in Japan. It begins with a brief explanation of the difficulties associated with construction robot development, followed by a brief history of robots in general.

The four construction robots are then considered. Each one is described in functional terms, and a general description of the mechanics involved is provided. The reader is referred to diagrams and photographs of each robot. These are of a high quality; in particular the diagrams are clear and uncluttered. However, it might have been advantageous to place the diagrams and photographs closer to the text that describes them.

In general, the descriptions are clear and comprehensive, but it must be said that in places they resemble catalog lists. Greater emphasis should have been placed on innovative features such as the “Off-site Teaching System”--a robot simulator used with the SSR-3 robot.

The section on Future Themes for Construction Robot Research is a well-written though all too brief discussion of robot development, training of workers, and new technology.

The conclusion section is far from earthshaking. The final sentence states the obvious in telling us that construction sites will change dramatically with the introduction of construction robots. All in all, the paper is well presented and interesting, but lacking in content and of no real use to construction robot developers.