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Built Robotics vs Gravis Robotics

Two companies that retrofit autonomy onto existing earthmoving machines, with different targets. Built Robotics sells AI-powered pile-driving robots for utility-scale solar and an aftermarket autonomy kit (the Exosystem) for solar DC and AC trenching on 15-50 ton excavators. Gravis Robotics retrofits excavators and wheel loaders from 10 to 100-plus tons with a rooftop kit and a tablet for tap-to-dig autonomy, guidance and remote operation in construction, quarry and mining work. Vendor pages read Oct 22, 2026; desk research, not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 22, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Built Robotics (Autonomous pile driving; no public prices (quote / sales)) vs Gravis Robotics (Autonomous earthmoving; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Oct 22, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Built Robotics vs Gravis Robotics: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowBuilt RoboticsGravis Robotics
CategoryAutonomous pile drivingAutonomous earthmoving
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI-first
What it does"Physical AI for construction": AI-powered pile-driving robots for utility-scale solar. The RPD 35 carries up to 224 piles (34,000 lb payload); piles up to 19 ft, W6x7 to W8x28. The RPS 25 guides piles to within 1.0 degree of plumb and 15 mm of design elevation. Fleets can run up to 24 hours a day. Vendor cites 50,000 hours of operation, 40 deployments, an 8-layer safety system, and zero jobsite injuries (vendor claims, not verified). Used in the US and Australia. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the homepage figures above are unchanged, and the Solutions page now lists Trenching alongside Solar Piling: the Exosystem, described as an aftermarket autonomy upgrade for mid-size excavators from the leading manufacturers, installs in under a day, is fully reversible and keeps manual operation, with vendor-stated maximum production of 180 feet per hour, 0.1 ft digging accuracy and a 10% maximum grade for solar DC and AC trenching. The technology page names Everest, a cloud command center for monitoring and operating the Exosystem, and says its worker-detection models are trained on 1,000,000+ images (vendor claims). Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage piling specs unchanged (RPD 35 and RPS 25, 224 piles, 19 ft piles, 1.0 degree and 15 mm, fleets up to 24 hours a day) and a banner promotes its RE+ booth. The Trenching page adds that the Exosystem fits most modern 15-50 ton excavators, lists 130-180 feet per hour, automatic as-builts, custom bucket profiles in Everest, and safety features including a geofence, AI-powered smart cameras, wireless emergency stop and Guardian remote monitoring (vendor statements; the manual-operation comparison table is vendor-made and not used). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage piling specs unchanged (RPD 35 and RPS 25, 224 piles, 34,000 lb maximum payload, 19 ft piles, 1.0 degree and 15 mm, fleets up to 24 hours a day) and the RE+ booth banner is still shown; the menu now also lists Built Robotics REO Training and Built Solar Technologies. Trenching page unchanged in substance (Exosystem on most modern 15-50 ton excavators, installs in under a day and is reversible, 130-180 feet per hour, 0.1 ft accuracy, 10% maximum grade, automatic as-builts, Everest custom buckets). Flag: the technology page's spec block lists a 22,000 lb maximum payload while the homepage says 34,000 lb for the RPD 35; we keep the homepage figure attributed to the vendor and note the mismatch.Retrofit kit that turns existing construction machines into autonomous, terrain-aware excavators that crews direct from a touchscreen. It adds the Gravis RACK (compute and control hardware), sensors, and a touchscreen control. Vendor claims up to 30% higher throughput (vendor claim, not verified). Site news reports a $200M raise for construction autonomy. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the Series A post (Aug 17, 2026) says SoftBank is investing $200 million. The RACK page says the rooftop kit fits excavators and wheel loaders from 10 to 100-plus tons and has been installed on a dozen brands (the post names Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar and Volvo); machines need electro-hydraulic pilot controls, and legacy mechanical pilot valves can take a retrofit EH valve. It lists a forward camera and LiDAR, edge compute that keeps working offline, GNSS RTK masts with cameras and 3D LiDAR, and truck detection for loading; trucks, dozers, forklifts and graders are not supported. The Slate tablet offers in-cab copilot, field command and remote orchestration of one or more machines, tap-to-dig jobs defined from CAD/BIM geometry or on-site reference points, live cut/fill coloring and AR overlays of georeferenced models. The post also says Gravis leads an $8 million UK government-backed CAM Pathfinder project with Flannery Plant Hire. The 30% figure is stated against peak manual operation (vendor claim). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged in substance; the RACK page also describes surround-view cameras with low-latency video for supervision and remote control, autonomous tasks that dump into a spoil pile, hopper or truck, and an integrated wireless stop on Slate; the homepage's latest news item is still the Aug 17, 2026 raise. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage, RACK and Slate pages unchanged in substance; the latest news item is still the Aug 17, 2026 raise. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage, RACK and Slate pages unchanged in substance; the latest news item is still the Aug 17, 2026 raise.
Who it's forUtility-scale solar contractors.Earthmoving contractors with existing excavator fleets.
Pricing (as publicly stated)No public prices found (checked Oct 16, 2026; unchanged Oct 19, 2026): the vendor site has no pricing link in its navigation; builtrobotics.com/pricing redirects to the Solutions page and /plans returns a not-found page. Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (no pricing link; Project Proposal and General Enquiry contact forms). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (no pricing link; General Enquiry and Project Proposal contact forms).No public prices found (checked Oct 16, 2026; unchanged Oct 19, 2026, /pricing still not-found; the RACK page mentions turnkey rental and purchase options for Gravis-equipped machines through local dealers and rental providers, with no figures): the vendor site has no pricing or plans link in its navigation or footer, and /pricing and /plans return a not-found page. Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged (/pricing still returns a not-found page; turnkey rental and purchase through dealers and rental providers mentioned with no figures). Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (/pricing returns a not-found page; turnkey rental and purchase through dealers and rental providers, no figures). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (/pricing returns a not-found page; turnkey rental and purchase through dealers and rental providers, no figures).
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Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 22, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • What is automated: Built automates solar pile installation (RPD 35 and RPS 25 robots) and trenching with the Exosystem, which it says installs on the tail of a modern excavator in under a day, is fully reversible and keeps manual operation. Gravis's RACK fits excavators and wheel loaders and runs bucket tasks such as excavation and loading into a spoil pile, hopper or truck; it says it does not support trucks, dozers, forklifts or graders.
  • Machine fit: Built says the Exosystem fits most modern 15-50 ton excavators from leading manufacturers. Gravis says its kit covers machines from 10 to 100-plus tons, has been installed on a dozen brands, and needs electro-hydraulic pilot controls, with a retrofit EH valve for machines with legacy mechanical pilot valves.
  • How crews run it: Built names Everest, a cloud command center for monitoring and operating the Exosystem, with custom bucket profiles, real-time production data and automatic as-builts. Gravis's Slate tablet offers an in-cab copilot, field command and remote orchestration of one or more machines, with jobs defined from CAD/BIM geometry or on-site reference points, live 3D scanning with cut/fill terrain coloring, and augmented visual guidance alongside autonomous tasks.
  • Vendor-stated performance (not verified): Built lists 130-180 feet per hour of trenching, 0.1 ft digging accuracy and a 10% maximum grade. Gravis says up to 30% higher throughput than peak manual operation.
  • Safety: Built describes an 8-layer safety system, a geofence, AI-powered smart cameras, wireless emergency stop and Guardian remote monitoring. Gravis describes surround-view cameras, low-latency video for supervision and remote control, and an integrated wireless stop on Slate.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 22, 2026): neither publishes prices. Built routes to General Enquiry and Project Proposal forms. Gravis mentions turnkey rental and purchase of Gravis-equipped machines through local dealers and rental providers, with no figures.
  • Where they work: Built says its robots are used in the US and Australia and focuses on utility-scale solar. Gravis lists headquarters in Zurich, Austin and Oxford and names construction, quarry and mining applications.
  • AI tags: both are tagged AI-first. Not used here: Built's hours, deployment and injury figures, its manual-operation comparison table, and Gravis's funding and customer material (vendor statements). Neither tool has been tested by Means & Methods Lab.

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

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Questions to ask in your review

  • How each performs on your soil, grades and trench or excavation spec
  • What each costs for a rental or purchase on your fleet
  • Which of your excavators each kit supports today
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?
  • What does it cost you in practice, compared with what the sales call said?

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