Tiny Robots Help Move Historic Structures In China
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A team of engineers in China has accomplished a remarkable feat. They have moved and returned a 7,500-metric-ton historic building complex in Shanghai — with the help of tiny robots.
The project began in 2023 when a construction company was tasked with building an underground shopping center, parking garage, and subway lines beneath the Huayanli complex. Built in the 1920s, the three brick-and-wood buildings are classic examples of Shikumen architecture. The blend of traditional Chinese courtyard layouts and Western townhouse facades was once common across Shanghai. However, few of these buildings remain today, making preservation essential.
To protect them while clearing space for the work below, the buildings had to be relocated. However, their fragile frames and the narrow alleyways made traditional moving methods — like cranes and hydraulic jacks — impossible. The engineers needed a more creative solution.
The team began with a detailed 3D scan of the site to produce accurate blueprints. Battery-powered drilling robots then worked around the building’s foundation, clearing soil to make space for the lifting robots below. The excavated material was removed using a network of conveyor belts.
Next came 432 miniature “walking” robots. Each was small enough to fit in a hand yet strong enough to lift 10 metric tons. They were carefully placed below the buildings. Working together, they shifted the massive structures forward in a slow, crawling motion — about 30 feet (9 m) per day. In total, the buildings were relocated about 157 feet (48 m) west and 151 feet (46 m) north, clearing the way for the underground construction.
Once the foundation work for the underground structures and subway lines was complete, it was time to move the buildings back. The return journey began on May 19, 2025. Over the next twenty days, the robots gradually inched the structures into place, finishing the task on June 7, 2025.
With the buildings safely returned, work on the underground project continues. The effort highlights how modern technology can preserve historic architecture — even amid major urban development.
Resources: Newatlas.com. Designboom.com, parametric-architecture.com
