How robots are building the future
Ben Hackney-Williams, 14th December 2018, Business
The construction industry is turning to artificial intelligence to battle its issues, and it's working.
While it may seem like something from a sci-fi film, robots will continue to take the place of human workers in every industry, in some way. The global construction robots market was valued at $200 million last year, and predictions state that it will continue to grow to reach $420 million by the end of 2025.
Whether building, tunnelling, advancing our ability to recover from natural disasters or just a showpiece of what is technologically possible, robots are continually displaying new abilities and ways of increasing efficiency through automation.
A recent publication entitled the Global Construction Robots Market Research Report 2018 studies construction robots, including remote controlled demolition robots, construction 3D printing robots, bricklaying robots, and remote control rescue robots...
Over the next several years, multiple companies within the robotic tech sectors of construction will release robots that are going to provide 3D printing capabilities with concrete and other materials, as well as other development opportunities available to the commercial market.
The research report states that “the construction robots market is driven by current entrepreneurial boom and the real requirements from the world, like construction sites in Japan are enjoying a wave of automation amid an increasing shortage of labourers. According to the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors, there will be 1.28 million fewer construction workers by fiscal 2025 compared with fiscal 2014.”
While many may see this as automation over employment, the fact that it's happening in what is an ageing industry in many countries shows how it's a solution to the problem of increased demand for construction and limited provision of new workers entering employment.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: “in 2015, some 30% of all construction workers were aged over 55, while those below 29 accounted for only about 10%.”
Aside from the reduced workforce in many countries' current climate, the effects of robots on efficiency and removal of human error in construction can't be argued. Even in specific practical circumstances, for example the provision of materials on-site overnight through the ability of a robot to work at any hour, for any number of hours, is hugely beneficial.
Already, Construction Robotics has a machine that can lay 380 bricks in an hour. For a house that's' around 1200 square feet, with a plan of seven bricks per square foot, it means that the average house could be built in under one day – purely from a bricklaying standpoint!
Related articles
Monthly Newsletter
Not signed up to our monthly newsletters and would like to keep up to date with a variety of products? Select from below which products you would like to receive.
No Product! Please select a product
