Page 91 - Build 165

Departments/Innovation By Dael Climo, Build Deputy Editor
Robot the builder
The construction industry is facing massive change in the next 20 years as disruptive new technologies revolutionise old practices.
CONSTRUCTION IS among the least digitised and automated industries in the world. It is also reported to be one of the most dangerous, least productive and least innovative, positioning it for the massive change made possible by technologies such as arti cial intel- ligence, robotics and autonomous vehicles.
Robotics taking over
Currently, construction processes are heavily reliant on manual processes, but there are many exciting new applications just around the corner.
For example, Komatsu has built a multi- purpose drone and bulldozer automation system. The drone ies above a construction site, monitoring deliveries, inventory and overall progress. The drone also creates a 3D map of the construction site, which it then feeds to an unmanned bulldozer, with the information used to direct the bulldozer without the need for a driver.
Another exciting example is the combi- nation of a 3D printer with a robotic arm by Chinese company WinSun. The robotic arm controls the motion of the 3D printer, allowing it to create large structures. The company claimed to have made 10 single- storey houses in one day with their robotic 3D printing equipment.
Safety advantages
Construction is an inherently dangerous job. Robots can improve worker safety by taking
over some of the more dangerous tasks and allowing human workers to complete more cognitive tasks.
In a global $10 trillion industry, even small di erences in operating expenses can mean huge savings. Fewer workplace incidents translates to lower operating costs, which can end up saving construction companies a lot in the long run.
Is construction ready for automation? Productivity needs to improve, and current labour shortages need addressing.
Old jobs will go and new ones emerge
Recent research from UK construction company Mace predicts that 600,000 of the current 2.2 million positions in the industry could be automated by 2040 as the fourth industrial revolution turns the sector on its head. The gures apply to the UK, but the research has global implications.
One of the hardest-hit jobs in the industry is forecast to be bricklaying, with the current 73,000 bricklayers on UK building sites expected to tumble to just 4,300.
Build 165 — April/May 2018 — 89