Automated Quality Inspection for Floor Tiling and Grouting Works
Automation & Robotics for Construction
Challenge Statement Owner
Established in 1927, Woh Hup (Private) Limited is one of Singapore’s leading construction and civil engineering firms. Renowned for delivering iconic projects like Jewel Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay, it specialises in large-scale infrastructure, residential and commercial developments in Singapore and across Southeast Asia.
Background
Tiling is a skilled trade where workmanship quality can vary depending on installer skill level. Pre-grouting defects, such as excessive lippage, chips, cracks, and inconsistent grout gaps, can reduce both the aesthetic value and durability of finished spaces. On typical projects, multiple trades work simultaneously in tight spaces, and joint preparation before grouting can be inconsistent, leading to poor adhesion, pinholes, or cracking. Post-grouting issues such as inconsistent finish, colour mismatch, voids, and residue left on tiles are common, resulting in rework, additional cost, and delayed handover.
Currently, Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) personnel carry out manual pre-grouting inspections of tiled floors. This process is labour-intensive, subjective, and inconsistent, with inspection coverage limited by manpower availability. On average, inspectors can cover only around 3 units per day, leaving room for missed defects and rework.
A standardised, automated inspection process would allow both robot-laid and manually laid tiles to be checked against defined quality criteria, producing quantitative defect data and increasing coverage. Woh Hup sees the opportunity for such a system to significantly improve inspection productivity and reduce human subjectivity.
The Challenge
How might we automate pre- and post-grouting inspections for tiled floors, detecting and quantifying key workmanship defects, to increase inspection productivity, coverage, and consistency?
Requirements
Functional Requirements
- For pre-grouting, the system should be able to detect and quantify:
- Checking and ensuring cleanliness and consistency of joints before grouting (debris or mortar in joints)
- Lippage exceeding 0.5mm tolerance (BCA guideline)
- Tile damage, such as chips or cracks
- Adequacy of grout gaps for filling
- Consistency of grout gap width
- For post-grouting, the system should be able to detect and quantify:
- Inconsistent finish
- Colour mismatch
- Voids
- Residue left on tiles
- Automatically generate inspection reports with quantitative defect metrics
- Cover at least 3 times the area or units compared to current manual inspection rates (around 10 units per day)
- Operate without requiring prior floorplans or extensive setup
Technical Requirements
Core Requirements:
- Operate effectively in small residential units, corridors, and other confined spaces
- Small form factor for high coverage and ease of transport between work zones
- Handle variation in tile colour, surface finish, size, and grout colour
- Provide clear defect location mapping for rework teams
- Use sensors capable of consistent, accurate detection under variable site lighting and dusty conditions
- Autonomous navigation without prior mapping
- Vendor-agnostic approach, i.e. compatible with different tiling workflows, suppliers, and contractors
Additional Preferences:
- Integration with BIM or digital QA systems
- Cloud-based reporting accessible to QA/QC teams
Expected Outcomes
- At least 30% savings in manpower or time, enhancing inspection productivity compared to current methods, with further improvement possible by consolidating tasks
- Reduction in missed defects and human subjectivity in QA/QC assessments
- Standardised, quantitative reporting for project records
- Improved consistency and quality in floor tiling works
Deployment Environment and Constraints
The solution must function in active construction environments with dust, noise, and variable lighting. The system must be manoeuvrable in confined spaces typical of residential units and corridors, and robust enough to withstand site handling.
Proof-of-concept (POC)/Pilot Support
Woh Hup will provide:
- Live construction sites for pilot testing
- Feedback and validation from QA/QC teams
- Access to actual site conditions and tile installation variations
- Iterative collaboration during testing to refine accuracy and usability
Commercialisation and Scaling
If successful, the solution can be deployed across Woh Hup’s residential projects and offered to other main contractors seeking to automate floor tiling QC. Both sales and leasing models may be considered for scaling.
