How is technology shaping construction?
How are new tools promising a world of safer, cleaner and more efficient construction? How is the very cutting edge of modern technological development shaping the way we build the world around us?
We’ll look at major new developments, from exoskeletons to nanotechnology to 3D printed buildings, and the brave new world (and unique set of challenges) they’re ushering in.
New technology and safety protocols have already made construction a much safer place to work
Major Injuries in Great Britain
| past year | 5 year average |
|---|---|
| reported injuries | |
| 1,913 | 2,815 |
| major injuries per 100,000 | |
| 156 | 192 |
Further technological developments promise to make this work even safe
584,000 DAYS
were lost due to a workplace injury in the construction industry.
Merging humans with machines
FORTIS Exoskeleton
Developed by Lockheed Martin
- Lightweight and powerless
- Reduce muscle fatigue by 300%
- Allows heavy loads transfer
(up to 36lbs) - Increase productivity by 2 to 27 times.
Dual Arm Power Amplification Robot
Developed by ActiveLink, a Panasonic subsidiary
- Ability to easily hoist objects weighing up to 100kgs
- People wearing it can move at 5 miles per hour
- Costs approximately $5,000 each
- Available from 2015
Decreasing the need for constant repetition has long been the holy grail of the construction industry
this will greatly decrease strain on workers, give them abilities they never before had, and free up their time for more taxing tasks
"This invention aims to provide a simple means whereby brick may be taken up, transported to a wall, and laid in the wall, mortar being deposited on each course, and the mortar being troweled off and smoothed down, to make a good bed for the next succeeding course of brick"
Bricklaying Machine Patent
filed January 18,1928 by Jasper N. Youngblood
Machines that improve workers’ efficiency
- Productivity improvement
- Quality and reliability
- Safety
- Better working conditions
- Standardisation of components
- Life cycle cost savings
Semi-Automated Masonry
SAM robotic system is the world’s first used for on-site masonry. It is not designed to replace humans but work with them to help with the repetitive and strenuous parts of the job.
NO-SAM
SAM
20% faster
1500-2500 more
bricks per day
30% cheaper
more savings
in job costs
Welding
Across Japanese construction sites welding time has dropped dramatically since the use of robotics welding systems.
TERMES
Successfully developed autonomous robots that cooperate and build structures much larger than themselves without the need for a central command or prescribed roles.
$1.7B
2011
$2.2B
2012
$4B
2015
$10.8B
2021
Value of 3D printing market worldwide
66.7%
of manufacturers are adopting
3D printing in some way
The race is on to perform 3D printing on a massive scale.
At this moment in time there is a difficult balancing act between print speed and final quality.
68 square-metre home
8 days
<£50,000
- WikiHouse 4.0 allows you to download blueprints from the internet for free
- It is the first time a two storey home can be digitally cut and built using open source
Building automation has become increasingly common in the past two decades
we will only see robots full potential in construction when they do not just copy human work, but enhance it
Keeping track of technology
| Technology | Range | Accuracy | Cost | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPS (Basic) | Very large | 10M | Low | Vehicle positioning |
| GPS (Differential) | Large | 1M | Moderate | 3D machine control, surveying |
| RF/wi-fi | Large | 2-5M | Moderate | Asset management, personnel tracking |
| Laser indoor GPS | Moderate | 0.2MM | Very High | 3D machine control |
| Magnetometers | Large | >1M | Low | Asset management |
Working with machines that are designed to work with little human control and interaction presents a unique challenge
How do we co-ordinate them?
Each machine must work in unity with others acquiring data from sensors that accurately track their position and every measurement. The technologies capable of doing this can be very expensive preventing them from being used on a construction site with a limited budget.
Sources:
//www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/construction/construction.pdf //www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/mfc/photo/exoskeleton/mfc-fortis_infographic.pdf //www.extremetech.com/extreme/173463-worlds-first-affordable-powered-exoskeleton-is-almost-here-prepare-for-mech-wars //www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/extending-automation-of-building-construction-survey-on-potential-os2OB1mC0R/2 //construction-robotics.com/ //www.robots.com/faq/show/what-are-the-advantages-of-robot-welding-over-manual-welding //www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21596502-robot-navvies-may-be-just-around-corner-bot-builder //www.pwc.com/us/en/industrial-products/assets/3d-printing-next_manufacturing-pwc.pdf //www.bdcnetwork.com/robots-drones-and-printed-buildings-promise-automated-construction //www.independent.co.uk/incoming/3dprinted-wikihouse-40-the-50000-house-you-can-download-from-the-internet-9727424.html