Man versus machine: Scott beats SAM in a bricklaying sprint, but….

If the industry convention named ‘World of Concrete’ in Las Vegas isn’t curious enough to grab your attention, how about a contest to determine the world’s fastest brick-layer? It’s like a competition to determine ‘How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?’ held in the shadows of North America’s holiest shrines to sin and gaudiness.

Scott Tuttle (centre, with trowel) working at championship pace
Jeff Rubenstone/ENR photo

Nevertheless, two dozen teams faced off for title rights in the Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 competition under the Nevada sun earlier this month. The rules were straight-forward; teams have one hour to build a 26-ft, 8-in., double-width brick wall of at least 500 bricks as high as high as possible. Judges also pay attention to quality, taking away points for flaws and sloppy workmanship.

Scott Tuttle from Utah (with help from his mason tender Dayne Carter) was declared the winner. Scott and Dayne managed to lay an adjusted total of 775 bricks in that one hour, and with what little energy they had left, drove away in their first prize 2016 Ford F-250 XLT 4×4 pick up.

SAM can work on walls from ground level up to the roof many stories high

SAM: Quiet and unassuming and just feeds on bricks!
Not far away from all the contest hub-bub was SAM. SAM would be your ideal worksite employee. SAM doesn’t need a bathroom break, is never grumpy Monday morning after watching the Leafs lose again, and won’t ask to leave for the cottage at noon Friday. SAM is a veritable brick-laying machine. In fact, SAM is a machine.

SAM (Semi-Automated Masonry) developed by Construction Robotics of Victor NY. can lay 800 – 1200 bricks per day; maybe not up to Scott’s one-hour sprint level, but SAM will keep on chugging while Scott rubs Absorbine Jr. into his pecs during coffee break. Talk about endurance!

Give Donald Trump SAM and he’ll have that wall built in a month!
SAM may be the next thing in construction. It does more than lay bricks in a straight line. SAM is adaptable to various job sites, and is capable of minor detailing such as bumping bricks half an inch for texture and modifying window placements when plans don’t line up with reality. The developers of SAM claim that the robotic device is not intended to replace humans; a human assistant is required to set up the work site and adjust for issues such as corner placements. However, the developers do claim that one worker accompanying SAM is the equivalent of four or more masons on the job. Like those numbers?

Belgium-made RoadPrinter lays paving stone patterns up to 20 feet wide

How about a yellow brick road?
Not to be outdone by masons, pavers of the world now have a robotic champion in their corner too. The Belgium-made RoadPrinter can lay up to 5,300 square feet of paving brick up to 20 feet wide in a single day. Resembling either a pasta press or a newspaper printer (depending on your imagination) this impressive, electrically-driven machine only requires the loading of bricks into its forward compartment. RoadPrinter does the rest, working at a pace of 13 feet per minute, even the edge finishing. No one needs to get down on their knees with RoadPrinter on the job, except to praise the efficiency and ergonomic benefits.

Mind you, the investment cost of such robotics is high. SAM is said to be priced at US$500,000. (The cost of the RoadPrinter is not specified on the manufacturer’s website.)

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