How Smart Robotics are Revolutionizing Engineering for Construction – Trent Leinenbach & Travis Voss

<p>In this episode of Construction Tech News, host Jeff Sample teams up with two industry leaders to discuss how automation and artificial intelligence are influencing construction workflows.<strong>Travis Voss</strong>, Director of Innovative Technology and Fabrication at <strong>SMACNA </strong>and <strong>Trent Leinenbach</strong>, Vice President of Customer Experience at <strong>Stratus </strong>joined the conversation to explore topics ranging from autonomous forklifts to AI-driven news sourcing.</p><p>The discussion also covers the introduction of CLARK, a large language model designed to assist engineers with codes and standards and analyzes the industry’s take on U.S. steel tariffs and their long-term implications for construction materials.</p><p><strong>Key Learnings:</strong></p><ul><li>Autonomous forklifts are now a reality thanks to university-led research.</li><li>AI tools like ChatGPT can support construction pros with smarter news sourcing.</li><li>CLARK, a new large language model, aims to assist structural engineers.</li><li>Engineering decisions still require human oversight, even with AI input.</li><li>Steel tariffs may stabilize local manufacturing but introduce uncertainty.</li><li>Industry leaders support tariffs for long-term competitive advantage.</li><li>The future of sourcing materials hinges on balancing innovation and policy.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p><p>[00:00] - Show intro and episode format </p><p>[01:41] - Autonomous forklifts and robotics in construction </p><p>[08:39] - CLARK: AI for engineering and code support </p><p>[10:53] - The role of LLMs and AI responsibility in engineering </p><p>[17:25] - U.S. steel tariffs and the global materials supply chain </p><p><br></p><p><strong>NCCER:</strong> <a href="ambitiontheory.com/building-better-report/"; rel="nofollow">ambitiontheory.com/building-better-report/<…; </p><p><strong>Follow The Guest (Travis Voss)</strong></p><ul><li><strong>LinkedIn: </strong><a href="linkedin.com/in/travis-voss/"; rel="nofollow"><strong>linkedin.com/in/travis-voss/</strong><…; </strong></li><li><strong>Facebook: </strong><a href="facebook.com/travis.voss.336"; rel="nofollow"><strong>facebook.com/travis.voss.336</strong><…; </strong></li><li><strong>Website: </strong><a href="constructiondorks.com/"; rel="nofollow"><strong>constructiondorks.com/</strong></a>…; </strong></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow The Guest (Trent Leinenbach)</strong></p><ul><li><strong>LinkedIn: </strong><a href="linkedin.com/in/trent-leinenbach-plmb-46601817…; rel="nofollow"><strong>linkedin.com/in/trent-leinenbach-plmb-46601817…; </strong></li><li><strong>Twitter: </strong><a href="x.com/BimminAintEasy"; rel="nofollow"><strong>x.com/BimminAintEasy</strong></a>&…; </strong></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Reference Links: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="linkedin.com/pulse/bim-dead-long-live-briefish…; rel="nofollow"><strong>linkedin.com/pulse/bim-dead-long-live-briefish… href="enr.com/articles/60595-steel-construction-inst…; rel="nofollow"><strong>enr.com/articles/60595-steel-construction-inst…; </strong></li><li><a href="arxiv.org/abs/2503.14331"; rel="nofollow"><strong>arxiv.org/abs/2503.14331</strong></a&… href="businessinsider.com/ai-for-worker-site-safety-…; rel="nofollow"><strong>businessinsider.com/ai-for-worker-site-safety-… The ConTech Crew:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Website:</strong><a href="thecontechcrew.com"; rel="nofollow"><strong> </strong></a><a href="thecontechcrew.com/"; rel="nofollow"><strong>thecontechcrew.com/</strong></a>&l…; </strong></li><li><strong>YouTube:</strong><a href="youtube.com/channel/ConTechCrew"; rel="nofollow"><strong> </strong></a><a href="youtube.com/channel/UCBDRThvRmSpyTZmMWY4EAjg&q…; rel="nofollow"><strong>youtube.com/channel/UCBDRThvRmSpyTZmMWY4EAjg&l…; </strong></li><li><strong>LinkedIn:</strong><a href="linkedin.com/company/the-contechcrew/"; rel="nofollow"><strong>linkedin.com/company/the-contechcrew/</stro…; </strong></li><li><strong>Facebook: </strong><a href="facebook.com/TheConTechCrew/"; rel="nofollow"><strong>facebook.com/TheConTechCrew/</strong><…; </strong></li><li><strong>Instagram: </strong><a href="instagram.com/thecontechcrew/?hl=en"; rel="nofollow"><strong>instagram.com/thecontechcrew/?hl=en</strong…; </strong></li><li><strong>Tiktok: </strong><a href="tiktok.com/@thecontechcrew"; rel="nofollow"><strong>tiktok.com/@thecontechcrew</strong></…; </strong></li><li><strong>Twitter: </strong><a href="x.com/TheConTechCrew"; rel="nofollow"><strong>x.com/TheConTechCrew</strong></a>&…; </strong></li></ul>