JLG is building Canvas drywall finishing into a construction robotics line

JLG acquired Canvas core technology on January 6, 2026, then placed Canvas Robotics inside its CONEXPO jobsite-of-the-future program with the 1200CX and 2000CX drywall machines.

6 Jan 26

JLG acquired the core technology developed by Canvas on January 6, 2026, adding drywall-finishing robotics to the Oshkosh access-equipment business. Canvas had built its robots on a JLG platform for six years before the acquisition.

Canvas had raised a $24 million Series B in April 2021 led by Menlo Ventures, with strategic investment from Suffolk Construction alongside Innovation Endeavors, Brick & Mortar Ventures, and Grit Labs. The company launched from stealth in 2020 after several years of patent work and also worked with District Council 16 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

The product family targets drywall finishing, a construction process that is physically demanding, dusty, and hard to staff consistently. The 1200CX measures 30 inches by 35.4 inches, weighs 1,200 pounds, reaches 12 feet, self-drives, and uses all-wheel steer for openings as small as 30 inches. ENR watched the machine perform a Level 4 finish and use a sanding attachment at Canvas headquarters in San Francisco.

The 2000CX extends the same idea into higher interior work, reaching more than 20 feet while retaining a compact platform. It performs Level 4 spray, Level 5 spray, and sanding from one drywall-finishing platform, using auto mapping and seam detection to align finishing passes. JLG lists project references including SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Chase Arena Towers, and the UCSF Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision.

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