ABB and Cosmic use AI-powered robots to rebuild homes in Los Angeles area

ABB Robotics is enabling rebuilding in areas devastated by the 2025 Southern Californian wildfires through a collaboration with Cosmic Buildings, a construction technology company that uses proprietary mobile robotic microfactories. After the wildfires burned thousands of acres, destroying homes, infrastructure and natural habitats, this initiative will deploy the microfactory in Pacific Palisades, California, to build modular structures on-site.

“Together, Cosmic and ABB Robotics are rewriting the rules of construction and disaster recovery,” said Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics division. “By integrating our robots and digital twin technologies into Cosmic’s AI-powered mobile microfactory, we’re enabling real-time, precision automation ideal for remote and disaster-affected sites. In the face of labor shortages and rising costs, this shows how automation can transform housing construction, by building faster, safer and smarter.” 

At the heart of the innovation is the integration of ABB’s IRB 6710 robots and RobotStudio digital twin software with Cosmic’s Robotic Workstation Cell and AI-driven Building Information Model (BIM), an end-to-end platform that handles design, permitting, procurement, robotic fabrication and assembly (Figure 1).

Housed within an on-site microfactory, these systems fabricate custom structural wall panels with millimeter precision and deliver them just in time for assembly at the construction site.

Launched in response to the Palisades and Eaton fires, which destroyed more than 16,000 structures, Cosmic’s mobile factory aims to build 100 homes by 2027.

Cosmic integrates ABB’s RobotStudio into its AI BIM allowing the entire build process to be simulated and optimized in a digital environment before deployment. Once on location, Cosmic’s AI and computer vision systems work hand-in-hand with the robots, making real-time decisions and detecting issues. Cosmic’s homes are built with non-combustible materials, solar and battery backup systems, and water independence through greywater recycling and renewable water generation (Figure 2).

“We’re not just building homes; we’re rebuilding the playbook,” said Sasha Jokic, founder and CEO of Cosmic Buildings (Figure 3). “Our mobile microfactory is fast enough for disaster recovery, efficient enough to drastically lower costs, and smart enough not to compromise on quality. By integrating robotic automation with AI reasoning and on-site deployment, Cosmic achieves construction speeds three times faster than traditional methods, completing projects in as little as three months.”

Cosmic Buildings is a public benefit corporation and construction technology company that combines a proprietary AI-driven, end-to-end software platform with mobile robotic microfactories (Figure 4).