By Tapaswini Mohapatra Samant Architect, Environmentalist
New technologies and construction methods will take priority in the near future as labour costs keep going up due to the increased health and safety regulations imposed by COVID-19. The industry was already suffering from the labour shortage problem, and COVID-19 has exacerbated matters even more now. Robotics is the only option to Covid -19 or similar contagion circumstances for the future.
Currently, in the construction industry, robotics is coming as a solution to the present disruption and under crisis situations. Robotics in construction world presently limited to self-operating machinery such as bulldozers, excavators, and cranes. However, the implications of this technology are far-reaching. For instance construction workers can now concentrate on more skilled-oriented tasks if robots can replace the workers in performing the more routine jobs. This will not only encourage efficiency but also improve time management for most construction job sites.
We can imagine the construction site of the future to be almost fully automated, with robotic labour, and small drones flying around for monitoring and delivering supplies. Engineers and architects will be to a large extent replaced by advanced software that can handle most of the design production. Over the last few decades, we have already seen leaps in software technology replace the need for huge numbers of draftspersons, and construction equipment capable of doing the work of tens of labourers. This trend will surely continue into the future, and we will see very exciting developments happening in the coming years.
New innovative Construction Robots
There are several different types of construction robots that are expected to break out on a massive scale into the construction industry. Among the top ones is the 3D-printing robot that is capable of putting up building structures on demand. The 3D-printing robot prints an entire structurally safe building through the help of a mobile robotic arm that is digitally pre-programmed with instructions. This new technology is not only limited to buildings as it is now being used in building bridges, with the first ever 3D printed bridge being built in the Netherlands recently. The combination of 3D printing and industrial robots is among the most promising automation technology being witnessed in the construction industry.
Another new technology is construction robots for brick-laying masonry, with some robots even being able to layout an entire street at a go. Not only do these robots improve the quality of the construction work, but also dramatically improve the speed of construction. In addition to these construction robots, there are several others such as remote controlled vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles, which can serve the similar purpose.
Employment calamity
Those in the construction industry who are fearful that tech-infused solutions will take away their jobs, should rest easy and be assured that automated machines will not replace human skill. Provided the sector of labours can shift in other fields in different disciplines, where there will be huge requirement in future for a new planned self-sufficient futuristic India. This replacement is just a key to the straining problem from labour and developer end and not to be a threat of job loss for any sector in the industry.
Having the ability to manipulate these robots will be a good investment, given the flexibility it presents. Optimists say any adverse effects will be short-lived and robots will be a major boost in overcoming slowdowns in productivity, growth, income, and well-being.
Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)
