A Waikiki demolition project is using compact robots instead of cranes or trucks, and it's good news for future residents who need affordable housing.

• An old eight-story building with 33 units is being torn down to make way for a taller tower with around 125 units.
• The site is too tight for large trucks or cranes, since the building touches its neighbors on all sides.
• Small robots are being used instead — they ride the elevator shafts up to the roof, break the building down floor by floor, and send debris back down the same shafts.
• City officials are framing this as part of a broader push to modernize how Honolulu builds and redevelops land.

Outlook: If the robotic approach works smoothly here, expect it to become a model for demolishing other tightly packed buildings in dense urban areas.