SAM: One Robot, a Dozen Engineers, and the Race to Revolutionize the Way We Build

Journalist Waldman (Rust: The Longest War) delivers a lively look at the team behind SAM, a “semi-automated mason” bricklaying machine designed to “revolutionize construction.” Engineer Scott Peters and construction project manager Nate Podkaminer founded “Construction Robotics” in 2007 and, supported by a team of engineers, debuted SAM in 2013. Waldman has an eye for details that sum up character—of two mismatched company employees, he observes one, a conservative Republican, “listened to classic rock and didn’t recycle”; the other, a liberal Democrat, “listened to podcasts and did”—and for dramatic end-of-chapter cliffhangers. He also provides enough background on the construction business, “the second biggest industry in America,” yet one famously resistant to change, to help explain why SAM met stubborn resistance from the construction crews it was intended to help. Despite the sometimes dizzying proliferation of technical acronyms—for example, SAM’s predecessors, ERMaS (Experimental Robotic Masonry System) and MAMA (Mechatronically Assisted Mason’s Aide)—Waldman’s storytelling remains engaging as he follows the team from building sites across the U.S. to the “World of Concrete” trade show in Las Vegas, then to an enticing but elusive opportunity in Dubai. This gripping story of a “scrappy little start-up” proves its author to be an industrious reporter and natural storyteller. [em](Jan.) [/em]