Due to the intensive use of manual labor as a primary source of production, automation has not become popular in the construction industry even today. The latest digital technologies like AI and robotics are least used in construction projects regardless of their size and type.
They have the potential to change the entire construction industry if they are introduced to it effectively.
Potentials of construction robotics
Construction robots are least used in the construction industry so far mainly due to the difficulty faced in the automation of construction tasks. The main obstacle in the use of robots at the construction site is the condition of the worksite itself.
Robots can be used in a controlled environment to perform repetitive tasks that are not possible on construction sites. In this environment, the robots are required to be more variable in real-time so that they can be more productive and profitable with a little or no reprogramming.
Though it is difficult for the robots to be so much variable still some robots for construction sites are developed to accept such challenges.
Types of Robots for the construction industry
Several different types of robots are developed by engineers that can help in changing the construction industry to a great extent. These construction robots include 3D printing robots, demolition robots, bricklaying robots, and masonry robots, etc.
A 3D robot can help in building large on-demand buildings. This 3D printer is controlled by a mobile robotic arm as well as a set of instructions to print a safe 3D structure of a building. In the beginning, this technology was used for constructing bridges like the bridge constructed recently in the Netherlands.
In this project, the combination of industrial robots and 3D printing technology has helped in automating the construction industry to some extent.
Similarly, masonry robots and bricklaying robots are being used to lay the entire street in one schedule. In this way, construction robots can help in improving the quality and speed of construction work to a great extent.
Likewise, demolition robots can help in breaking the existing buildings fast and affordably even if their speed is slower than the crews used for this purpose. You can use them to demolish the concrete structure and other components of a structure when its lifecycle is over.
Several autonomous vehicles and remote-controlled robots are some of the other types of robots used in the construction industry to change the construction industry more impactfully.
Artificial Intelligence
Like construction robotics, artificial intelligence also has the potential to change the construction industry. Several Artificial Intelligence applications have benefited various industries all over the world during recent years.
It can also revolutionize the construction industry if used properly. The construction industry can be changed entirely by using various AI applications.
They can be used while planning to remodel a building as well as surveying the location. AI-controlled systems can also help in organizing an enormous amount of data to create construction plans, 3D maps, and blueprints without any manual interference.
Likewise, these systems can be used to analyze critical information of construction sites to ensure the use of efficient construction practices in a categorical manner by knowing about the prevailing trends.
Moreover, you can also use AI to make tasks like keeping a record of vacancies, sudden departures and sick leaves of the worker easier by using its centralized data system. One of the applications of AI, Virtual Assistant, can be used by the engineers and workers to know the deficiencies in their construction procedures.
It can also help in mixing asphalt appropriately to get the required density. Some of the construction companies have developed collapsible cones, robots, and drones with cameras and sensors to avoid any error in monitoring construction sites and ensuring the safety and security of the workers.
In this way, when the construction industry will adopt the latest technologies like robots and Artificial Intelligence then this extremely un-automated industry will experience a great impact.
Construction companies can improve their productivity and efficiency by automating most of their tasks. The eagerness of the construction industry to adopt the latest technologies has become obvious with the increasing demand of construction robots and AI applications.
You can search online to know more about the impact of AI and construction robotics in the construction industry.
