How to take advantage of Robots in the Construction Industry
In the construction industry, more organizations are beginning to use robots to conduct their daily operations and streamline processes. This inclusion of innovative technology may sound complex, but robots are commonly used in the construction industry.
Do you remember what the robots you imagined as a little kid looked like? They were silver or gray with a rectangular body shape and a square head. Your ideal robot could have been something like this:
At the time, it was a good guess for what robots of the future would look like. Today, reality has exceeded all our expectations. The ideal robot has broken free of its typical image and has found its way into every industry across the world.
Robotics in construction is growing as businesses implement technology into various stages of the building process. In fact, PlanRader, a digital task-management and reporting software, points out that sales of construction robotics will rise to “over $225 million by 2025.”
The abilities of this tech are endless, ranging from aiding in the building of structures to completely autonomous operation of vehicles and improved surveying and inspections. In this article, we will go over the most important benefits that robotic technology is bringing to the industry.
What is a Robot?
Let’s start with the beginning, robots are “any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner” according to Britannica Encyclopedia. This means that, in construction, a robot could be a drone that takes pictures of land being surveyed or a vehicle that follows a set path to deliver materials.
A few of the most notable uses of robotics in the construction industry today are:
- Self-Driving Vehicles: As we mentioned above, self-driving is particularly useful in construction when it comes to the movement of materials. For example, in mining, there are situations where it is too risky for a person to go from one place to another. With autonomous vehicles, the equipment can move through dangerous areas without endangering humans.
- Demolition Robots: Robots used in demolition that can navigate remotely are another important use of robotics in the industry. Using a robot on these projects allows workers to be kept out of danger of falling buildings and other debris. They can also perform tasks faster and on a larger scale than humans, thus saving both time and money.
- Exoskeletons: Integrating robots with the human body is easily one of the most innovative technologies in construction. Workers can wear exoskeletons to help prevent injuries and improve stability when lifting heavy objects or working at heights.
As technology evolves, we will see an increase in its diversity and uses. With more inclusion into the construction industry, new obstacles appear that challenge technology’s continuous improvement. Let us review the most common ones.
Obstacles to Overcome in Robotics for Construction
Although sales of robotics in construction are increasing, the industry still lags others. This discrepancy in technological adoption is related to the unique obstacles that users must overcome before adopting robots into their projects. Some of the most difficult barriers are:
- Cost: The inclusion of technology is still so new in the industry, there are huge undertakings of research and development (R&D) costs associated with innovative and functioning robots in construction.
- Technology Improvements: There is still a lot of R&D going on for robots in construction. Because of this, few are widely used or trusted. Contractors, subcontractors, and others in the industry are reluctant to adopt technology in development phases.
- New Risks: Because this is an innovative technology mixed with the danger of a construction site, insurers are unsure about providing coverage to sites using robots. Insurance is all about numbers and risk, and if the data is not there to support a conclusion, insurers may not provide coverage.
- Dangerous Sites: The most successful robots are ones that perform one task repeatedly. This is not the case for construction. With constantly changing sites and processes, it has not yet been established that robots can safely navigate every project.
While the obstacles to overcome to use robots safely and confidently in construction are difficult to decipher, it is not a lost cause. Robotics has brought enormous improvements and they have just started their journey in the industry.
The Benefits of Robots in Construction
There are three big benefits that robots are bringing to the construction industry:
1. Save Time and Money
Robots can work nonstop without ever getting tired or needing a break. This means construction projects can continue throughout the night if the robots work safely alone or if there is a crew to watch. This practice also saves money, especially on expenses such as rental vehicles and insurance policy duration.
2. Improving Employee Health
Robots lead to improved safety and health for employees, both by sensing potential dangers in the workplace and taking over the riskiest tasks. For example, unlike humans, dangerous chemicals, smoke, or other similar hazards do not affect robots. In situations where these elements are present, a robot can go in and record live video to send back to a monitor for a human to review and analyze while out of harm’s way.
3. Labor Shortage Solutions
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates a significant gap in the number of jobs vs. potential applicants at 500,000. In their own words, “this gap is predicted to widen over the next 10 years to nearly 2.4 million unfilled positions.” In this scenario, robots will fill the employment gap for factories struggling to find qualified workers. With the ever-widening gap for labor at manufacturing plants, using robots is a straightforward way to increase line efficiency allowing workers to be re-tasked in other areas. Robots create new jobs for control engineers that have higher technical demands and may be more appealing to younger generations.
How to Get Started with Automation
Finally, one of the main components of robotics is the ability to replace time consuming manual processes for automated workflows.
If you want to venture into a fast and efficient way to include technology in your construction company, SmartCompliance can help. One of the first tasks that construction companies should investigate is using automation for are administrative ones. For example, tracking subcontractor Certificates of Insurance (COIs).
If you are looking to take this first step, schedule a free product demo to learn more about how our software reads COIs to determine compliance for your subcontractors and projects in the easiest way.
