Do tile-grouting robots mean less time on your knees?

A robot doing the long, open stretch of a tiled floor is easy to root for. That's work someone would otherwise do on their knees. A September 24 Straits Times report, reproduced by Singapore University of Technology and Design, describes BHCC Construction using autonomous tile-grouting robots since 2023. It reports coverage of over 90% of unobstructed floor space, with grout application and gap cleaning done together. That qualifier matters: it isn't 90% of every awkward bathroom or crowded worksite. I'd ask the crew about the bits left around doorframes, edges and fittings. Does someone spend a short spell finishing them, or follow several robots from room to room doing only the cramped work? The report says one worker can operate up to five machines; it doesn't measure how their time spent kneeling changes. I'd want to compare that time over a whole shift, including finishing and cleanup, before calling it a win for workers' knees. That's a check I'd propose, not a measured health benefit. I'd be delighted if a machine took away most of the floor-level slog, even if it never learned to finish every corner.