The construction industry, over the globe, is one of the largest industries contributing to the global economy. Recently, we have seen development in technology which is seen everywhere and, in every field, and construction is no new. Today, robotics in construction is taking steps and the way to execute various projects is changing over time. Despite being one of the largest industries, the integration of technology is quite slow. However, the reasons are several factors like cost, labor, and planning of the process.
Today, robots are gradually being integrated into the process. However, it is stated that a large portion of work will be done automatically shortly, greatly reducing the necessity for physical or human labor. For tasks that call for accuracy and speed, robots can be of considerable assistance. Furthermore, they have no trouble overcoming obstacles on the site related to physical exhaustion or limitations in human power.
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Human And Robots in Construction
To be successful with the use of robotics in construction, the combination of robots and human presence should supplement each other rather not complicate the whole scenario. Initially, locating the ideal gathering for both might be difficult. To improve efficiency, we need to combine the best attributes from each side. To the extent possible, a thorough classification of the various advantages and disadvantages of each party can greatly aid in the pursuit of harmonious human-robot collaboration.
When remarkable power and speed are required, robots can take over; construction people should concentrate on activities where their presence is vital. Also, the human ability to handle small-scale projects requiring careful handling can be the ideal complement to robots’ capacity to do larger jobs in impressively shorter amounts of time. The way to get the best qualities from each side must be combined to increase efficiency.
Advantages of Robotics in Construction
Using robotics in construction also boosts productivity. Robots are more productive than humans and do not need breaks for illness or injury. They can also complete repeated jobs more accurately than humans, producing results that are of a higher caliber.
Another benefit that construction robotics offers is cost-effectiveness. Compared to human labor, robots require less upkeep and don’t need benefits like health insurance. Additionally, because businesses need fewer staff to accomplish the same amount of work, its implementation lowers labor expenses.
Sustainable building methods result from human-robot collaboration since they increase precision and accuracy, which lowers waste material usage on job sites.
In every industrial environment, including building sites, worker safety and protection are top priorities. Because they can carry out dangerous jobs with accuracy and precision, robotic assistants have shown to be useful instruments in accident prevention by lowering the possibility of human error. Robotic technology-based injury prevention initiatives can make workplaces safer for workers. Robotics in construction sites is particularly advantageous in high-risk domains like excavation and demolition operations. For people to carry out these duties safely, specialist training and protective gear are needed.
Adopting robotic solutions has great promise for enhancing overall quality in the construction industry while boosting productivity and cost savings thanks to technological advancements.
Disadvantages of Robotics in Construction
The integration of robotics in construction has several advantages, however, there are also some disadvantages for the same. Looking at the disadvantages, one of them is that it will gradually affect human jobs. It will create new and interesting opportunities for those with a passion for technology, reducing the number of site jobs.
The use of robots, no doubt is beneficiary for the budget. However, to use that machinery requires a lot of financial investment. The greatest technology is supposed to be used by the number of businesses that can afford to buy it. It will result in the closing of many firms in construction affecting human life.
Apart from acquiring new technologies in construction, it also requires how to handle the technology properly and efficiently. The incorporation of new technologies will eventually require people to operate, which needs training, making it a lot of financial investment apart from getting technologies.
Application of Robotics in Construction
Some of the known applications of robotics in construction are;
- To ensure human safety on-site
As on-site, there is a risk of accidents, there is hazardous work that can result in some accidents. To avoid loss of human life, replacing humans with robots with such hazardous work is more convenient.
- To increase the site efficiency and productivity
By automating the production of modular homes and buildings off-site, robotic 3D printing of homes and customized structures, robotic welding, and robotic material handling on construction sites, robotics can increase the productivity of the construction workplace. In addition, the robots can further increase production in the construction workplace by preventing rework and guaranteeing safety.
- Site supervision
The process of site surveillance and inspection can greatly benefit from the application of robotics in construction. Aerial drones and ground-based robots are examples of robotic devices that can be used to inspect a job site and gather various kinds of data. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) allow the workers to see what the robotic systems are seeing in real-time.
- Recording the Process and progress
To track and record the work progress is indeed important for construction sites. Earlier this was done manually by site engineers, which is quite hard to keep all on record. With Construction robots, the process is considerably easy. Robots equipped with artificial intelligence and computer vision can do tasks ranging from monitoring wall progress to identifying even the smallest errors on building floors, all with minimal human intervention and in a shorter amount of time.
- Site documentation
Another crucial responsibility on the construction site that significantly affects a project’s success is construction documentation. But managing and documenting building projects isn’t exactly an exciting job. When working on a large-scale project, this task becomes considerably more complicated. Construction organizations have historically been known to use manual project documentation, which is undoubtedly not the best approach.
These flaws in manual documentation can be readily and with less human intervention corrected by robotics in construction. The AI- and computer vision-powered smart robots may quickly identify any non-compliance on the job site, monitor progress, and concurrently record insightful observations in the cloud-based document repositories.
