In the last decade, significant opportunities for automation have been identified in the area of
construction. Soaring labor and material costs have driven multiple research efforts in
construction automation. In this paper, we present a novel means for construction automation
that involves the fusion of the rapid prototyping, controls and mechatronics technologies. The
resultant autonomous construction mechanism has been designed for commercial applications.
Mobile Paving System (MPS) is a new freeform fabrication process which is capable of rapidly
producing variable profiles such as curbs and sidewalks out of materials like cement and asphalt.
Path generation and guidance of the construction operation is controlled by a mobile robot. This
article presents an overview of research and development efforts that are aimed at establishing
the feasibility and the potential of the process.Mechanical Engineerin
