Hyundai is expanding the use of unmanned robots for environmental and safety management at construction sites.

The South Korean company recently completed a demonstration of dust suppression using water-spraying drones at a residential development in Gwacheon. Through the demonstration, Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) evaluated the performance, flight stability and operational integration of the water-spraying drones in an actual demolition environment.

Demolition sites face a dual imperative: reducing dust while ensuring worker safety. Although dust suppression is an essential environmental management activity, it can expose workers to hazards such as slips, electric shock and collisions with heavy equipment. Concerns about safety incidents are particularly acute in areas where worker and equipment access is limited, such as high-rise sections or structurally unstable zones, and dust management can reach its limits where sufficient water spraying is difficult to achieve.

Hyundai conducted the demonstration by deploying water-spraying drones in areas of the construction site where dust was generated, concentrating 50 litres of water per minute within a radius of up to 12 to 15 metres under windless conditions. Because the drones were directly connected to power cables and water hoses, the system was not constrained by flight time or water supply volume. It also allowed spraying locations and coverage to be adjusted in real time to target frequently shifting dust-generating points, enabling flexible operation in step with construction progress.

Since remote control reduces human access while permitting operation from any location, this method is expected to deliver improvements, not only in dust reduction but also in safety and operational efficiency, compared with conventional approaches that rely on water trucks or stationary dust suppression equipment.

“Through this demonstration, we have confirmed the feasibility of applying water-spraying drones at demolition sites, and we plan to deploy them across a range of sites and demolition processes going forward,” said an official from Hyundai E&C (en.hdec.kr/). “Hyundai E&C is actively introducing a range of smart construction technologies, such as wearable robots, material-handling robots and cleaning robots, at construction sites while carrying out active demonstrations in parallel. Building on these efforts, we will lead the way in creating a safer and more sustainable construction environment.”

Meanwhile, the HMG Construction Technology Research Institute, a consolidated R&D organisation launched by Hyundai E&C and Hyundai Engineering, is dedicated to innovating construction sites through research and development in AI. Accordingly, the institute is strengthening worker safety and site operational efficiency through a range of smart construction technologies, including ground-controlled tower cranes, the Spot quadruped robot and unmanned drone stations.