The two articles that I read were:
·“Automation and Robotics in Construction: Opportunities and Challenges”
·“Intelligent Inhabited Environments: Cooperative Robotics & Buildings”
These articles related the ideas of robotics and construction and how we are moving towards a future in which buildings will be designed and maintained through the collaboration between people and robots.
The assigned reading gave a general synopsis of how robotics works and the different aspects important to robotics as a whole. Although this was important to read, the other two articles that I read only related to this article on a general level. The assigned article gave more of a background of robotics, and discussed terms and concepts important in the robotics field. The articles above give more of an idea of how robotics can be integrated into the construction and engineering field to create intelligent buildings.
The first article, “Automation and Robotics in Construction: Opportunities and Challenges,” discussed how robots can be used in the actual process of construction to speed up and create a more efficient environment for building. It talked about the advantages and disadvantages of the development of robots and how they are being used to help with construction. Within the article, the idea of robots working with humans to improve safety conditions and work processes is discussed as well as how robots could be used to improve precision within a project. There are disadvantages to having robots on a construction site though, which is an important point to keep in mind. For example the article talked about how a robot might not being able to interpret sites the way a human would, which could cause problems and set back the construction process.
The second article, “Intelligent Inhabited Environments: Cooperative Robotics & Buildings,” was about how robots are being used to create intelligent buildings. An experiment was conducted using robots to create economically proficient environments within buildings as well as to improve the safety and comfort of the building occupants. The robots were able to learn and gain knowledge from certain experiences they had within the building and output a solution to the experience itself. For example, if a robot sensed a room was unoccupied, it could reduce the ventilation and heat into a room to create an economically proficient space. The robots used sensory and fuzzy logic, an idea discussed in the assigned article, to make its decisions. From the article it seems like robotics can in fact be used to create intelligent buildings.
After reading both of the articles, I believe robotics will in fact help in the process of creating intelligent buildings. I agree with both John and Monika saying that robots will never be able to construct entire buildings, but I do believe they will be able to help. I also think that they will not only be useful in the construction process, but also in the maintenance of a building. I think eventually buildings will be labeled intelligent in correlation to robotics being used within buildings as was described in the second article I read.
I thought it was interesting how you commented on robots working with humans to improve safety conditions and work processes. Most of the reading I have done and discussion we had in class seemed to focus on a future in which robots would construct buildings by themselves. Your post made me think about how humans and robots could both inhabit a construction site so that they can accomplish tasks the other can't to ultimately make construction easier and more precise. For instance, let robots do repetitive tasks like brick laying while humans on site handle issues that require more interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI think that perhaps some day in the very far distant future we may have the technical and financial ability to have robots physically construct a building with only a handful of humans supervising the site, so I don’t consider it an impossibility. I do think that it’s probably too far off for our generation to witness; I think our generation will most likely be involved with the continual emergence of prefabrication and site assembly as the dominant feature of construction sites. I agree with you and Steve in regards to having robots perform some repetitive tasks on site, but ultimately that humans remain and will remain for the foreseeable future heavily worked during construction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael in how robots will have a much more significant role in the future. As far as robots having the capability of constructing an entire building without human aid is something that time will only tell. I agree with your post on how robots and humans will work together to improve the construction process. I found it interesting on how you commented on the role of robots within the building itself. Robotics are a necessary component in the intelligent building system. The future of robotics is endless, but for now I agree with Steven that robotics will play a major part in repetitive tasks.
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