Shimizu invests in Noble Machines to test MOBY humanoids on site from spring 2027

Shimizu Corporation said on Oct 16 that it had completed an investment in Noble Machines, a Silicon Valley startup that develops humanoid robots for construction, and started a full-scale collaboration. Shimizu did not disclose the investment amount. Noble Machines is based in Sunnyvale, California, was established in May 2024, and makes the MOBY series along with control systems and application software, according to Shimizu. The contractor will add its construction knowledge to that hardware and software, and the two companies will combine virtual simulations using Shimizu's BIM/CIM data with tests at actual construction sites.

The tasks Shimizu picked first are transport and patrol. Its plan has the robots carrying materials and equipment, navigating sites and conducting patrols, first in virtual simulations by the end of 2026 and then with physical robots at actual construction sites from spring 2027. Shimizu is not starting with skilled trades. That first list is close to the material-handling work in a semiconductor warehouse, where NVIDIA says Moby may move cartons, trays and specialized material carriers between unpacking stations, conveyors and automated storage. So the spring 2027 site trials will mostly check whether that work survives an unfinished building.

NVIDIA's stated hard part is reliability; the tests add an unfinished building

NVIDIA's story calls reliability the central challenge: Moby's hardware must run continuously under payload without overheating, and its whole-body control system must keep the robot and payload stable through tight spaces, stairs, debris and posture changes. That list points at construction sites, and the deployment NVIDIA describes is two Moby3 units in a semiconductor facility, where Taiwan-based integrator Solomon adapts Moby to material handling. NVIDIA also writes that Noble is exploring construction applications with a U.S. general contractor.

Noble's own timeline runs from a first-generation demo in September 2024 to a third-generation robot in September 2025. NVIDIA says Moby was built in about 18 months with roughly 15 people, where it expected four years and at least 50 people, and that Noble shipped Moby to Asia within 18 months of founding. The robot runs NVIDIA's Isaac GR00T, Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab and Jetson Thor for onboard inference, and Noble co-develops actuators with Schaeffler and is building a ruggedized Jetson Thor computer with ADLINK, NVIDIA says. Shimizu's stated reason for the investment is a coming labor shortage as the workforce ages and fewer young people enter the industry, with the goal of robots that support or replace physically demanding and hazardous tasks.

In spring 2027 the tests move to physical robots on actual construction sites, carrying materials, navigating and patrolling an unfinished building. Those trials put warehouse-style material handling up against the stairs, debris and tight spaces NVIDIA flags as the hard part.