Construction Robotics: An Analysis of Adoption Barriers in the Saudi Construction Industry

The Saudi construction sector continues to face ongoing challenges, particularly project delays and low productivity. Although robotics technology holds significant potential to enhance efficiency and address these issues, its integration within the sector remains limited. The objective of this study is to identify barriers to the adoption of robotics in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. This study used a mixed research approach that included a literature review and quantitative data collection. Ten barriers to robotics adoption were identified from previous studies and subsequently assessed through a questionnaire survey involving stakeholders in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. A total of 65 responses were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, and the Kruskal–Wallis H test. Based on normalized values, four barriers were identified as critical to robotics adoption: high investment cost, labor displacement concerns, variability of building typologies, and poor interprofessional communication. The findings of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of the barriers that influence and hinder the adoption of robotics in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia.