Meet Zyrex: A 20-Foot-Tall Robotic Construction Worker

RIC Robotics, known for its 3D printing robots that completed a Walmart expansion in a week, has unveiled a new, larger robot for various tasks.

The new robot, Zyrex, stands at 20 feet tall and is AI-powered, serving as a general-purpose construction robot dubbed “the world’s first Giantroid.” It is designed to be cognitive, fully autonomous, and offered at a competitive price below $1 million, with lease options starting at less than $20,000 per month.

Unlike humanoid robots like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, Zyrex is built to handle heavy-duty and delicate tasks in commercial and industrial settings, such as material handling, welding, assembling, carpentry, and 3D printing. It features self-changing battery packs, 26 degrees of freedom, and various tools for mobility, utilizing LiDAR and visual sensors along with VLA AI models for navigation.

The company believes Zyrex addresses challenges in the construction industry, including labor shortages and job site risks. Ziyou Xu, founder of RIC Robotics, stated, “We’re not just creating another robot – we’re designing the future of construction.” Zyrex aims to provide skilled labor at scale to combat industry shortages.

The rollout of Zyrex will occur in two phases: first, operators will train the robot using VR and simulators, while gathering real-time data for accuracy. In the second phase, Zyrex will operate autonomously based on trained AI models.

RIC’s current 3D construction robot, RIC-Primus, shares similarities with Zyrex in speed and automation. Zyrex is expected to enhance the capabilities of RIC-Primus, becoming a versatile, multi-functional construction solution. A prototype of Zyrex is anticipated to be available in early 2026.