278: The Drywall Finishing Robot

Kevin Albert, Founder and CEO of Canvas, joins us for episode 278 of Art of Construction.  Canvas is a construction robotics company that aims to deliver unrivaled quality, speed, and predictability by putting robots in the hands of skilled workers. Their first product is a robot that finishes drywall, made to give the trade control over their schedule, make the work safer, and make it easier than ever to produce beautiful walls. While other trades in the industry have seen tools and equipment take the strain out of work, drywall work remains largely unchanged. Because of this, the work is physically demanding and leaves workers prone to injury. On top of this, the work is long and unpredictable. Canvas aims to solve all of these problems with their robotic tool and have seen much success deploying it on job sites in California.  Join Devon and Kevin as they discuss how Canvas has streamlined the drywall process and made it safer, the importance of feedback on the job site when digitizing construction, why we should look at robots less like robots and more like tools, and comparisons between construction right now and the beginning of E-commerce.