The potential of autonomous construction industry

The potential of autonomous construction industry

For a long period of time not much changed in the construction Industry in terms of materials and methods that were used. However, the last few decades saw an exponential growth in demand with rise in population and urbanization. When these mounting requirements were combined with lack of manual labourers, scarcity of materials and low productivity it became apparent that the traditional process of construction would just not cut it.

The rise in technology has been a big boon for the AEC companies. Correct and innovative use of technology has helped the industry overcome many of its drawbacks and at the same time broadened its appeal to the young generation. From the use of BIM Drafting Services in design stage to 3D printing to wearable techs and to pollution eating buildings, the future of construction industry is going to look very different.

One area that seems to have endless possibilities for growth is the use of autonomous machines to overcome the limitations of manual labour. Below we recognize the three main advancements taking place in autonomous construction.

1The use of Robotics:

Robots have always fascinated the human mind. These programmable automated machines could help in various stages of construction process. An autonomous rover can increase the efficiency and detail of site inspection. However, the scope of improvement in speed and quality is the most evident in repetitive tasks. One example is that of a brick layer. A traditional brick wall is constructed one brick at a time, wherein each brick is placed by the human hand. A human would in a given day be able to place some 500 odd bricks, while Robotics’ Semi Automated Mason or SAM can put around 6000 bricks with mortar. Humans are not completely redundant though; they will be needed to clean up the mortar and load up the SAM.

Another noteworthy mention would be the robotic arm. MIT’s Media Lab has used an existing robotic arm to create a Digital Construction Platform. The robotic arm can travel anywhere on the site, constructing as it goes. Moreover, when it comes to minute specialized tasks the Robotic Arm can improve efficiency and detail reducing the scope of error.

With the use of Intelligent 3D Model one can get the most accurate representation of the site. The level of detail of the model or the LOD can be as much as the client requires. In future perhaps the scope of BIM could also be extended to robotics, where the data generated by the BIM can fed into the autonomous machine and it could be thus programed to carry out certain construction process. The process might take years to bear fruit, but its promises are infinite.

2. Autonomous Vehicles:

Self-driving cars have recently been all the rage, however when it comes to practical application of these vehicles there were some concerns about safety especially about the layman operating them. Adoption of these vehicles in the construction sector may not face the same challenges and in fact can solve certain issues faced by the AEC companies especially in regards to the safety of the workers. In 2017-18 the first use of this was seen in San Francisco, when Built Robotics launched their Autonomous Truck Loader (ATL).  These vehicles use LIDAR sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs) and global positioning system (GPS) technology to carry out time consuming and dangerous tasks like foundation digging hole or carrying heavy materials or machinery.

When combined with other forms of technology like robotics, AI, 3D printing, drones and BIM these vehicles can have benefits like greater productivity and cost, reduction in project delays, enhanced worker safety etc. With the aid of 4D Scheduling Services these vehicles can be guided in more efficient patterns, avoid congestion and provide better fuel usage and shorter schedules. 

3Drones:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or Drones are also proving their worth. They are useful in two key ways. One is that they are literally taking to the skies to conduct site inspections and check inventory especially when it comes to skyscrapers or mega projects. An individual or a team would spend hours going through the whole site checking manually for progress. With the help of drones, a single pilot can do the work from an offsite, safe location. A drone can also be programed to scan for any potential hazards and the resulting signals can be sent to a centralized control system.

Drones can also be effectively used for inventory management. Surveyors currently make use of GPS coordinates to cross-section piles of materials and regulate their quantity. A surveyor drone equipped with lasers and camera can do the same thing much faster.

Conclusion

When we look at the bigger picture these projects are at their infancy stage, but at least one thing is clear that the construction industry is taking charge and leading the way when it comes to utilizing autonomous machines. Each new advancement is a potential to make this sector more efficient, increase margins and reduce time. Industry leaders opine that construction can be optimized with the use of digital technologies such as Architectural and MEP BIM Services and executing it with semi-autonomous or autonomous machinery. With this, construction can be faster and the quality can be better, thereby increasing the profits and delivering better value. The true challenge is however to do it manner that it doesn’t reduce the jobs but rather fills the gap where labour is difficult to find.

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