robots in construction
Construction Technology

Robots in Construction: A Changing Workforce

Even though you frequently hear about robots taking jobs from humans, this dystopian warning has been more speculated than practiced. By 2018, slightly under 10 percent of manufacturers were using industrial robots. But prototypes for construction robots have come a long way since they were introduced in 1979. Here’s a look at where robots in construction are today.


Automating Construction Work

Even though the real world has a lot of catching up to do with the science fiction world when it comes to robots in construction, amazing developments have been achieved. A 2017 McKinsey report has assessed that 47% of work involved with construction can be automated. At the same time, many of the areas where robots would be the most effective are uncontrolled outdoor environments, where robots can experience operating difficulties.

Industrial robots can be used in construction to do much more than physically assist with building structures. They can also be used to provide visibility, identify and help solve construction issues, as well as track performance. The McKinsey report suggested it will take decades before industrial robots reach their full capacity at construction sites. Some of the ways in which robots are currently useful include the following:

Overcoming shortage of skilled workers – When the labor market experiences gaps for certain skills, robots are the perfect solution to maintain business continuity and efficiency.
Reducing workplace injuries – Humans can avoid dangerous assignments or physically repetitive tasks that can be performed by robots. Not only can robots lift heavy objects, but they can also operate remotely in areas where dangerous chemicals are present.
Cutting operational costs and waste – Robots can do assignments faster and with more precision than humans. They also don’t get sick or fatigued from monotonous work.


Uses for Robots in Construction

Robots are capable of helping construction projects in numerous ways from bricklaying to climbing tall structures. They are particularly useful for moving heavy equipment in disaster relief scenarios. Here are some other ways robots are solidifying their positions in workforce:

Factory-built Prefabrication – Various construction elements can be built as modules off-site by robots in factories before being transported and assembled on-site.
On-site 3D Printing – Several structures including bridges are now being built with 3D printers which themselves can be considered robots. They can handle various tasks from installing components to applying finishes.
Scanning Duties – Robots are effective at scanning processes that track construction performance, especially when integrated with AI technology. Scanning helps pinpoint project details to ensure proper installation.


Preparing for Robot Infiltration

Before rushing into purchasing a team of robots, it’s important to plan your application of robotics strategically. First, you need to assess your operation to identify areas where an automated robot can be useful – which usually means tasks that are too dangerous or boring for humans. You must further assess the consequences of deploying robots over humans to ensure you’re not weakening another part of your organization.

Your planning should examine how well robotics improves efficiency for your specific operation. Don’t forget robots can be useful for automated scheduling and verifying tasks have been completed.

An emerging dimension of robotics is called Building Information Modeling (BIM), in which robots are able to capture data through scanning. The robot can then send data to the cloud and draw information from multiple sources to arrive at recommendations driven by machine learning software. This ability contributes to project planning and making structural modifications.

Another algorithmic technology contributing to robotics is Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), which allows mobile robots to map their positioning in a complex environment.


Conclusion

The rise of robots in construction will continue in the coming years to make construction projects more safe and efficient. Advancements in automation and AI for indoor and outdoor robots will be crucial to this evolution for accelerating projects. Ultimately, with the help of robots, construction companies will maximize production efficiency and improve product quality.

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IoT in civil engineering
Internet Of Things

How IoT Is Transforming Civil Engineering

The smarter technology gets, the more interactive and interconnected larger systems become. That’s certainly the case with IoT in civil engineering, as sensors that monitor and transmit data are showing up everywhere in society. Utilities, manufacturers, and supply chains were early pioneers of this empowering digital technology, and now many other industries are following suit. Here’s a look at how IoT is advancing civil engineering.


IoT Integration with Civil Engineering

Not only has IoT expanded to the retail and healthcare sectors, IoT is gaining increasing momentum in civil engineering as well. Economic analysts expect the global market for IoT will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, which will reflect exponentially more usage than today. About 20 billion interactive devices are currently connected to the internet. Civil engineering, which involves design, construction, and maintenance for public and private projects, already plays a huge role in this evolution. Renovation of infrastructure elements such as roads, bridges, and airports will be the norm in this ongoing digital transformation.

Prior to the industrial revolution, the terms “civil engineer” and “architect” were generally synonyms that referred to the same profession, as usage was based on geography. During the technological age, a civil engineer is someone who resolves problems in society with scientific or technological solutions through project management. Many of today’s civil engineers work for construction companies, helping with project planning.

The construction industry has many reasons to integrate with IoT technology. It may involve construction of smart buildings that are embedded with countless sensors or it can even be used for construction companies to monitor their own projects in real time. Going more digital empowers any type of organization, as it can collect data on its operations to determine how to achieve greater production efficiency.


Civil Engineering Applications for IoT Technology

Adopting proactive steps toward preventative maintenance – The civil engineering industry is working toward reducing waste and enhancing efficiency. IoT devices give civil engineers the data they need for evaluating system strengths and vulnerabilities. Detecting and fixing technical problems early is the best path for achieving preventative maintenance.


Construction management streamlining – Project management is all about monitoring supplies, labor, and other factors that affect meeting deadlines on time. Decision-makers can analyze real-time data on supply chain inventory and prices to determine building strategies as the project unfolds. IoT technology can also be used to track specific workers, supplies, vehicles, or equipment.

Agility, accuracy, and transparency of automation – Despite the steady transition to a paperless society, construction projects still involve plenty of handwritten forms and paperwork. Automation technology resolves the problem of when paperwork piles up too high, as cloud tools add data automatically to continuous reports on expenses, scheduling and progress. By making project data immediately available to stakeholders, construction firms are becoming more reliable and accountable to project funders.

Project safety improvements – Since construction sites have many dangerous elements, it’s crucial for project managers to be informed immediately when an injury or property damage occurs. IoT sensors and smart cameras can collect instant data on site conditions, including security breaches. Individual workers can be monitored at all times through a shared connection to ensure safety as well as productivity.

More intelligent IT support – IT support only gets better the more relevant data it collects. Ultimately, the IoT revolution is all about putting value and trust in analytics, which can then help you refine your operation by weeding out wasteful inefficiencies. The more you’re able to identify problems in your production process, the faster you’ll be able to resolve them using your own analytical skills or with the help of AI technology.


Conclusion

Adoption of IoT in civil engineering has helped accelerate society’s digital transformation. Integrating data sensors in construction projects help avoid costly mistakes and improve the final product. Essentially, construction companies that invest in IoT today will have significant operational advantages over competitors of the future.

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IoT in construction
Construction Technology

How IoT is Changing the Construction Industry

The construction industry has not stopped evolving for the past thirty years. Innovations are shaking up the building sector, which is increasingly open to the development of technological concepts such as connected objects and IoT (Internet of Things). These tools help improve the speed of construction, the efficiency of workers, and even safety on construction sites.


What is a connected object?

To put it simply, IoT is a network of interconnected physical objects that can share information, hence the name Internet of Things. So how can IoT transform the construction industry?


Energy-saving on construction sites

Sensors on water, gas, and electricity meters can provide real-time energy readings that operators can evaluate to bring optimization to the site’s energy consumption patterns.


Management of material stocks

Do you have enough wood or cement? Using a fleet of tracking sensors coupled with a control console in the form of an application or software simplifies inventory management.


Employee safety

Thanks to the new generation of connected headsets, you can improve the safety of your employees on construction sites. Indeed, these helmets are notably equipped with high-voltage line sensors to prevent the risk of electrocution. They can also signal the presence of workers on the tracks or announce the arrival of trains on construction sites taking place near railways.


Real-time monitoring

Sensor data assists construction companies in staying on schedule as well as driving rapid improvement of processes. Construction firms often incur large losses from downtime caused by a periodic supplier of stock or a worker’s failure to execute. IoT can help to stay on track.


Remote monitoring

Thanks to geolocation sensors installed on your machines and linked to an application on your smartphone, you can monitor your site in real-time and evaluate the activities of the various workstations even when you are far away.


Constructing with precision

Through the collection of large data sets, IoT empowers workers with actionable insights. Material and vehicle tracking are made possible, thanks to IoT. By using this innovation, the costs associated with property damage or losses or are reduced.


Hourly labor tracking

Construction sites often employ subcontractors for nearly every aspect of their work, from HVAC to glasswork to plumbing. But even if they receive a bill for 7,000 person-hours of plumbing work, the contractor is unlikely to cross-check that work. Tracking labor hours becomes easier with IoT at construction sites.


Access management

Access management can also benefit from advances in the connected building. Traditional badges and physical keys, which are complex to manage, can be replaced by mobile applications. This system can facilitate occasional and regular visitors, such as delivery people.

In addition, companies can deploy connected locks. Unlike physical locks, these can be reconfigured as needed to allocate or refuse access to a user identified using different devices (smartphone, biometrics, IoT chips, etc.)


Machine control

On construction sites, human operators control heavy equipment used for heavy machine work. IoT-enabled machine controls can simplify this process. Intelligent machines can improve efficiency and autonomy in the construction industry. These machines can function more precisely with IoT sensors, requiring less human intervention.

Also, a system like this can keep operators apprised of equipment status constantly, so a breakdown or failure won’t occur unexpectedly. Keeping construction equipment in good shape reduces the risk of downtime from unplanned maintenance.


Wearable devices

Construction has several good use cases for wearable technology and devices. In the field of Wearable technology is any device that provides information to the user through its connectivity. These sensors can monitor activity data and detect when a worker falls, which helps speed up response times to accidents.


Equipment maintenance and repair

Machines have sensors that allow them to communicate information about their condition and whether they need repair or service. Machines that can fail will likely fail at just the wrong time, so fixing them before they break makes more sense than waiting for failures to occur. IoT sensors for maintenance and monitoring can help to identify issues and schedule maintenance and repair. A digital revolution is underway in the infrastructure sector due to the democratization of intelligent objects. As such, construction industry will continue it steady path towards digitization. In the future, we are more likely to see new capabilities and tools become available that improve site safety, worker health, and productivity.

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