Short answer
Tiling and masonry demonstrations capture a tradesperson spreading mortar or adhesive, placing units to a line and checking level and spacing. Existing contractor video may lack the close views and measurements these tasks need, so check samples first; commissioned recordings with a task script and tolerance labels are the alternative. Video shows neither material feel nor robot actions, and placement accuracy must be measured separately.
The buyer's problem
Placement trades are attractive automation targets because the work is physically heavy, repeated and bounded by drawings. They are also tough for learning from video. A tile is often placed to within a millimeter-scale joint, onto a bed of adhesive that is still wet, while the worker watches a line, a level and the spacing between neighbors. Bricklaying adds mortar that squeezes out, units that vary, and a wall that grows past comfortable reach.
A buyer needs to know what a camera can record of this, which labels carry the tolerance information, and which parts need other sensing. This page is about the demonstration side; for broader finishing work such as drywall, painting and fixtures, see construction interior finishing.
Task anatomy
Tile setting (floor or wall)
- Read the layout: reference lines, starting point, tile pattern, joint width.
- Mix or take adhesive; spread with a notched trowel in the direction and depth the product requires.
- Place the tile, press or tap into the bed, adjust.
- Insert spacers; check level and lippage against neighbors with a straight edge or level.
- Cut tiles to fit around obstacles; carry and place cut pieces.
- Remove excess adhesive, cure, then grout and clean.
Bricklaying and block laying
- Set lines and corners; dry-lay a course if needed.
- Spread a mortar bed; butter the end of the unit.
- Place, tap to height, strike off excess, check plumb and level.
- Repeat along the course, then raise the line.
- Tool joints once mortar firms.
Failure modes include hollow spots under tile, adhesive skinning over before placement, lippage, drifting lines, mortar droppings, an uneven bed, and a unit that cannot be adjusted once set. These are as important as the clean runs.
Using task vocabulary from public sources
Before designing labels, a buyer can borrow a task vocabulary. The O*NET database includes Task Statements and Detailed Work Activities (DWAs), and a "Tasks to DWAs" file that maps one to the other (O*NET Resource Center). Those statements describe occupations at a coarse level and are not motion data, but they help you check that your step list uses terms an industry recognizes, and to separate trades whose tasks differ. See construction method statements for the procedural document side.
What footage can show and what it misses
| Aspect | Visible in video | Needs other recording or logging |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence of steps | Yes | |
| Trowel angle and pass pattern | Partly, with a close view | Trowel pose from tracking |
| Placement position and alignment | Roughly | Measured offset against reference line |
| Level and lippage | Not reliably | Level or laser reading logged per unit |
| Adhesive bed coverage | No (hidden after placement) | Pull-up tile checks, coverage notes |
| Pressing force and tap strength | No | Instrumented tool or robot trials |
| Pot life and open time | Indirectly | Timer and mix record |
For tolerance-driven work the measurement log is as valuable as the video. A strong dataset links each placed unit to a measured result, so a model has a ground-truth outcome beyond "looks right." Read success and outcome labels for label design.
Sourcing
Existing footage. Ask whether a contractor records its work in detail at all. Candidate material includes job-site progress photos, occasional training clips, social media content and sometimes helmet-camera video. Check ownership, since a general contractor, a developer or the building owner may hold rights, and workers or occupants can be visible. This is not legal advice. Progress records are covered by catalog pages like construction project records, which are documents rather than demonstrations.
Commissioned recording. A tile or masonry contractor can host sessions at a training yard, a mock-up wall or a real job where access and consent allow. You choose product, pattern, camera positions and the measurement scheme. Stage a wall mock-up when the live job is unsafe or confidential. Follow the site rules in the recording protocol for live work sites.
Describe the placement trade, materials and tolerances to SourceX and it will investigate whether US businesses hold suitable material or whether a commissioned session is worth discussing.
Illustrative package
# Illustrative only - synthetic values, not an available dataset
package: tile_setting_mockup_pilot
site: contractor_yard_031, 2.4 m x 2.4 m floor mock-up, repeated across 6 layouts
materials: porcelain tile 300x300 mm, thinset adhesive, notched trowel size recorded
tradespeople: 4 (tiler_G01..G04), written consent for model training
views: head_mounted 60 fps; overhead fixed; low_angle_edge_view; trowel_closeup
measurements_per_tile: lippage_mm, joint_width_mm, position_offset_mm (laser/level log)
labels: step, tool_in_hand, adhesive_state_note, outcome (accepted / lifted_and_reset)
variation: starting corner, diagonal vs straight pattern, tile cut at wall
excluded: pressing force, robot actions, adhesive coverage under tile
rights: training and evaluation; no redistribution
All values are examples. Your own tolerance, such as lippage limit or joint width, comes from your product spec, and you set the acceptance threshold.
Quality checks
Body posture matters for overhead and kneeling work; see full-body pose from workplace video.
- Measurement linkage. Confirm every placed unit has a timestamped reading that can be matched to the clip.
- Close views. Sample clips to verify the trowel, tile edge and neighbor are visible together.
- Material variation. Count adhesive types, tile sizes and unit materials. One material is one material.
- Reset events. Lifted and re-laid tiles are signal, not noise. Keep and label them.
- Evaluation split. Hold out a tradesperson, a product or a layout.
What this data cannot support
- Robot placement accuracy. Human tradespeople work to tolerance with continuous visual and tactile adjustment. Video does not provide the control loop a robot would use.
- Material feel. The sense that mortar is the right consistency, or that a tile has seated, is tactile.
- Heavy-load kinematics. Lifting pavers or blocks involves body mechanics and reach that differ from a humanoid's; see manual load handling and carrying.
- Site variability. Substrate flatness, weather, dust and tight geometry are site-specific and often missing from a mock-up.
- Drawings to action. Interpreting a plan or layout is a separate task from placing a unit, and it needs document data.
Questions to ask suppliers
- What products and materials were used, and how many tradespeople and layouts appear?
- Is placement accuracy measured per unit, and with what instrument?
- Do clips show the adhesive or mortar bed, or only the placed unit?
- Were rework and failed placements kept?
- Was the recording at a live site, with other workers or occupants possibly in view?
- Who owns the footage: the contractor, the general contractor, the building owner?
- Are proprietary details such as product names, drawings or client information visible?
- What camera mounts were used, and how are views synchronized?
- What did workers consent to, including use of body shape and movement?
- Can a separate layout or product set be reserved for evaluation?
Discuss your requirements
Discuss your humanoid training-data requirements with SourceX by describing the trade, materials, views and permitted uses. SourceX reviews the requirement and follows up about potential sources; a request does not guarantee a match, and nothing is contracted until a supplier agrees. See the workplace task demonstration hub, the humanoid training data guide, and the catalog guide to video recordings.
Describe the workplace demonstration data your robotics project needs
Sources
- ONET Database (ONET 29.1 per search snapshot): Task Statements and Detailed Work Activities — task statements and Detailed Work Activities as a task vocabulary.