Robotics for Building Intervention in Construction Engineering Applications

The structural recovery of existing buildings is becoming an increasingly strategic issue in civil and construction engineering, due to the ageing of the built environment, the effects of material degradation, and the growing expo-sure to natural and environmental hazards. In this context, robotics is emerg-ing as a promising field for improving safety, precision, and operational effi-ciency in inspection, monitoring, maintenance, and, potentially, active inter-vention processes. However, the specific domain of robotic applications for structural recovery in existing buildings remains fragmented, especially with reference to masonry and steel structures. This paper develops a qualitative literature review based on a PRISMA approach, aimed at identifying, selecting, and classifying robotic systems ap-plied to intervention scenarios on existing constructions. A search conducted on Scopus for the period 2000–2026 led to the final inclusion of 30 studies, which were analyzed through a comparative matrix considering robot typol-ogy, material, task, operating context, level of autonomy, and relevance to building intervention. The selected studies were then classified according to robot type. The results show a markedly higher level of maturity in robotic applica-tions for steel structures, especially in inspection, non-destructive testing, monitoring, and surface maintenance. By contrast, existing masonry remains underrepresented and is mainly associated with surveying and diagnostic ap-plications rather than active recovery solutions. The review therefore high-lights a significant gap between robotics for asset knowledge and robotics for material intervention, outlining a field that is promising but still partial and unevenly developed.