麻豆传媒高清

Skip to Content
View site list

Profile

Pre-Bid Projects

Pre-Bid Projects

Click here to see Canada's most comprehensive listing of projects in conceptual and planning stages

Labour, Technology

Robotics opening opportunities as industry goes forward: Experts

Warren Frey
Robotics opening opportunities as industry goes forward: Experts
DUSTY ROBOTICS

Robotics isn鈥檛 just coming to construction, it鈥檚 already here.

That was the message from industry experts at the Power of Robotics in 麻豆传媒高清ion education session held Jan. 24 at the World of Concrete conference in Las Vegas.

DPR 麻豆传媒高清ion robotics lead Henning Roedel and Rogers-O鈥橞rien 麻豆传媒高清ion chief innovation officer Todd Wynne explained to attendees that use of robots in the construction industry is already underway with innovative products soon to arrive in the marketplace.

鈥淲e were really just trying to demystify that robots have been on our jobsites for years, whether it鈥檚 a tele-operated concrete pump or robotic total stations. We were trying to show that these are just tools but also showed real world examples of how we鈥檝e been using modern tools,鈥 Wynne said in an interview.

 

It opens up opportunities for those who have bodies that are no longer able to work in our industry,

鈥 Henning Roedel
DPR 麻豆传媒高清ion

 

Some of these tools included layout printers, or as Wynne termed them, 鈥渁 Roomba with a printer attached鈥 that transfer BIM layouts directly to the construction floor more quickly and accurately than a human being.

鈥淔or the last decade we鈥檝e been on the journey of trying to build from the model and connecting that BIM world with the world of operations. Having that interstitial layer of layout, survey and control ties the model space to the real world. Now we鈥檙e starting to see these robots leverage model files and even traditional field engineering techniques,鈥 he said.

Roedel described the Hilti Jaibot, an onsite automated drill, capable of drilling holes into overhead concrete floors whether fluted deck, steel on metal deck or cast-in-place concrete.

鈥淚t does so accurately, safely and fast. We love it because it鈥檚 limiting exposure to dust, taking the burden off the shoulders of people in the field, and it鈥檚 making easier work for a single operator,鈥 Roedel said.

He added using robotics on the worksite opens up the industry to new heavy equipment operators such as women and those with disabilities.

鈥淛ust because you鈥檙e in a wheelchair it doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 operate a robot,鈥 he said.

Robotics also allows those with extensive experience to stay in the industry longer, Roedel said.

鈥淚t opens up opportunities for those who have bodies that are no longer able to work in our industry, but they still want to contribute,鈥 he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much asset knowledge our industry is losing that we can reignite in that way,鈥 Wynne added.

New tools will also appeal to youths who don鈥檛 want to get dirty in the field but do want to use robots and other equipment, Wynne said.

鈥淲e need to exploit the innovations happening in our industry to attract those workers,鈥 he said.

Roedel said while some worry about robots taking jobs or are uncomfortable with machines, the ongoing labour crunch makes adoption of new technologies essential.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in an industry and we鈥檙e in a time right now when we need these tools. Not only do we have a gap in productivity that鈥檚 persisted for decades, we鈥檙e facing a labour shortage. We can鈥檛 fill the jobs fast enough to build the work we need to support society,鈥 he said.

鈥淚t really is the evolution of a power drill,鈥 Wynne added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 using ones and zeroes and doesn鈥檛 have any kind of sentience and can鈥檛 create its own objectives, it鈥檚 really just a modern tool. We don鈥檛 know how the computers in our pockets work, but we trust and use those every day.鈥

Print

Recent Comments (1 comments)

comments for this post are closed

Jim richardson Image Jim richardson

What I find most appalling about this article is the blatant lies about what the true reality these 鈥渋nnovations鈥 mean to the construction industry. Namely the elimination of a human workforce, sure you can get people that don鈥檛 want to get dirty or (shamelessly) promote that it helps the disabled. However these people are going to be supervision, not working ,and they鈥檒l be supervising machines that will be replacing hundreds if not thousands of real construction workers. Let鈥檚 not forget that robots don鈥檛 get paid, don鈥檛 get sick or tired (as long as they have batteries), never get overtime ,benefits, health insurance, pensions, families and will never sue or make a workers comp claim. I know you won鈥檛 post this but it needs to be said. Stop pretending that you care about safety inclusion etc when the real goal is free (almost) labor

More

You might also like