Page 60 - Green Builder Nov-Dec 2020 Issue

Building (Driver) freewheeling. Built Robotics has combined off-the-
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shelf heavy equipment with AI guidance systems to remotely
power equipment used to build critical infrastructure such as
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CREDIT: BUILT ROBOTICS
How Close is Robotic Labor?
Advocates for mechanized help on the jobsite say the shift has already
begun with ‘smart’ excavation equipment.

BY RAMZI JREIDINI
OULD ROBOTS BE THE ANSWER to construction’s labor
problem? The industry certainly seems to think so, with
non-human workers being successfully tested to tackle
tasks such as excavation, drywall installation, painting
C and rooƒng, and headed for more e„orts in the future.
Construction productivity has fallen by half since the ‡ˆ‰Šs, and
this is largely prompted by the industry’s prolonged shortage of
workers. This makes robots an obvious solution. If you can’t hire
them, why not build them?

WORKFORCE ROBOTS ARE ON THE WAY
Smart construction has been a long time coming. The sector has
continued to grapple with ineŒciencies and labor shortages for
decades, largely due to a failure to evolve with the times. According
to “Reinventing Construction Through a Productivity Revolution,”
a digitization index by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI),
construction remains one of the least-digitized industries on the
planet, lagging well behind its contemporaries in technology uptake.
Construction comes in second-to-last and last place, respectively, on
MGI’s U.S. and European lists. Automated effort. Japanese public research body, National Institute of
Given these facts, development of robotic and automated Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) is developing a robot
construction tools has been a matter of “not if, but when.” And, thanks capable of activities such as drywall application and wall panel installation.
to a number of up-and-coming startups in this space, it does not CREDIT: AIST
look like there will be too much more waiting. Robot bulldozers and As noted by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the ongoing
backhoes which use sensors such as Light Detection and Ranging labor shortage, including that of professional talent for designers,
(LIDAR) and GPS to “see” the world around them have been tested architects and higher levels of management, has “undermined project
successfully, along with robots which have the ability to install management and execution, adversely a„ecting cost, timelines and
drywall without human assistance. Such products will be a catalyst quality.” Time is money—and the lack of available, skilled workers
to construction’s future growth. The sector is in desperate need of and professionals is one of the biggest reasons for stagnating
a shakeup. productivity and rising construction costs. Some reports, WEF notes,
Smarter design, smarter employment practices, and using new and estimate cost increases of ŸŠ percent year-on-year.
innovative construction technologies have the potential to remove The sector needs to start small and start now. This means rethinking
the labor pressures from a sector which has struggled consistently construction employment in tandem with better construction
for eŒciencies. This, of course, requires šexibility from construction practices—a combination that is also being empowered by
ƒrms—something which could be more diŒcult than robotic design technology. Less human capital can be answered by the evolutionary
in such an entrenched industry. thinking and the construction hiring platform.
According to “Engineering and the Gig Economy,” a report by
STARTING SMALL, STARTING NOW Engineering.com, the majority of all workers will be freelance
Although robotics may seen inevitable, many technical hurdles within the next ‡Š years. Flexible employment terms and freelance
remain. However, it is a development for the coming decades. conditions could help to ensure there are enough employees to go
Autonomous solutions do not answer today’s lingering issues of around.
ineŒciency and loss of qualiƒed labor. Moreover, innovative and streamlined processes will be able to

58 GREEN BUILDER November/December 2020 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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