The construction industry has been slow to adopt to robotics en masse but there has been considerable progress in certain areas, with adoption of monitoring and service/labor robotics hitting their highest levels, according to new research
The annual Tools, Equipment & Robotics Benchmarking Report from BuiltWorlds shows that nearly two-thirds of contractors surveyed, who cited use of robotics on jobsites, are either using monitoring and/or service/labour robotics.
Some 35% of respondents are using autonomous heavy equipment.
However, only 6% are using prefabrication robotics.
“The integration of advanced tools, equipment, and robotics represents a significant leap toward modernizing and streamlining operations within the AEC industry,” wrote BuiltWorlds research analyst Audrey Lynch, who authored the report.
“This year, we saw the highest levels of adoption in monitoring robotics and service/labor robotics, two of the four main categories we’ve identified in construction robotics.”
“There is a confluence of factors that are all working in tandem to drive increased utilization of robotics in the construction industry. The primary push forward is an increasingly prominent labor shortage in the industry,” said Tyler Sewall, senior director of research for BuiltWorlds.
“Meanwhile, the typical barriers to adoption are slowly waning, leading to an environment more receptive to robotic solutions. The increased use of BIM, improved operability and accuracy, improved data collection and utilization, and an industry more culturally inclined to new technologies have all yielded material increases in the use of robotics.”
‘Better adoption isn’t mass adoption’
While this year’s report shows wider scale adoption than years previous, particularly in the areas of service/labor and monitoring robotics, the industry has yet to embrace robotics into its mainstream.
“As much as the case for robotics continues to grow,” said Sewall.
“There are, frankly, still so many reasons why robotics adoption isn’t widespread, and may not be for a while.”
For one, most robotic solutions, he explained, require some variety of building model in order to operate.
“BIM, while well-adopted in some markets, is significantly underutilized in large portions of the industry.”
Another reason, Sewall said, is that robotics, like any new technology, comes with a certain amount of risk, which is a problem in a traditionally risk-averse industry.
“With layout robots, for instance, the second question is always, ‘Who owns the layout?’,” he explained.
“If the general contractor dictates how layout will be done, does that change the owner of the risk?”
Finally, and most obviously, is the cost.
“The upfront costs of robotic solutions are expensive,” Sewall said.
“While larger companies can support these costs, many small- and mid-sized contractors simply cannot support any additional spend.”
Still, while there remain significant barriers to mainstream adoption of construction robotics, the data seems to indicate a slow acceptance and utilization of a technology that represents a massive boost to safety, efficiency, and productivity.
