###### Abstract
Therefore, the aim of most construction robots is not to replace workers, but to help them, increasing their performance and, overall, making them more productive [30]. Aforementioned STCRs are useful and flexible since they can be easily integrated in conventional construction procedures. They also have some challenges. Some of their drawbacks are that their application demands new health and safety requirements and that it leads to some difficulties during the human workers' incorporation [30]. Several studies were carried out to address these challenges [49; 50]. In these studies, various STCRs which perform different tasks are integrated into a construction site. Then, a networked robotic system was created using a hardware-software system [44; 49; 50]. Although this kind of on-site robotic factories has already been built and tested successfully, they are still in the development stage where it is still too early for the construction industry to adopt them. Autonomous heavy equipment (self-driving construction vehicles) is actively being used in the construction sites to execute various tasks [30]: autonomous track loader (ATL) for light construction work, autonomous dozer for pushing heavy objects and leveling soil, autonomous excavator for excavation, loading rucks, digging trenches, etc. [51] They possess similar technology for self-driving cars including light detection and ranging sensors, augmented GPS and drones [30; 51]. This technology makes machines totally autonomous, freeing workers from operating them, so companies can cover more tasks with the same personnel, increasing productivity. They also eliminate the human error as much as possible and prevent accidents related to construction equipment operators. Overall, in the next decades, more extensive adoption of robots and autonomous equipment is expected in the sector. Since the construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries, the main aim of these technologies other than increasing productivity will be improving safety. The workers within the next decade are going to be expected to operate these machines and use the relevant technologies to perform their jobs [30]. Materials science and technology plays a significant role in the progress of the construction industry. Novel building materials enable contractors to create more sustainable, energy-saving, eco-friendly, smart and resistant structures. In addition, building materials represent a \(1\) trillion dollars global industry [31]. They can reduce costs, speed up construction, enhance the safety and improve the quality of the building [31]. The latest trend points to using green products as well as integrating renewable and natural resources in the industry. Most of them are relatively affordable, whereas a few others are costly due to their high fabrication costs. Every new generation material has excellent properties (e.g., being self-sustaining, recyclable, smart, lighter, stronger, etc.) and most of them are designed to last for centuries. Some of the most recent materials that have caused a big impact in the construction industry are the following: self-healing concrete [52; 53] (reduces infrastructure maintenance and the production of greenhouse gases and decreases construction costs), hydroceramics [54] (cool the building and lower energy costs), wool bricks [55; 56] (stronger, lighter,more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative), 3D graphene [57] (considered a future replacement of steel, having 5% of steel's weight and offering up to 200 times its strength), transparent aluminum [58] (translucent, rigid, corrosion and radiation resistant and ideal for future space vehicles, resistant windows, etc.