Will Robots Take within The Construction Industry?
How often have we heard politicians promising to bring back manufacturing jobs to the USA? Perhaps I'm over thinking it, but unless you are manufacturing some really expensive items it'll be challenging to provide American workers minimum wage and put key-chains and such together. Come to think of it, there are a number of really expensive items like all of Apple's products that sell for tens of thousands or hundreds of dollars and have low material price. Those parts would be great to make in the United States and pay a decent wage to workers. Wait, when workers can pay a few hundred dollars a month to do it abroad why manufacture here? And so the difficulty continues.
As sales manager for Union store fixture and mill work facilities I understand now more than ever how significant labor unions are to our work force. With many Americans working than ever we find many corporations cutting on shifts -hours so they are ineligible for health benefits. We're becoming a nation of part time workers, which is not likely to endure us to raise families and live the American dream.
Due to Labor Unions which we're members of, there are a few safeguards for us. An honest wage to get a day's work by skilled workers that are well - trained and focused on quality and security.
We discuss the future of our kids along with the new generation as it pertains to what sorts of occupations will likely be available to them and frequently sit about. It is a growth industry, not only in the USA but overseas as well.
Computers and robots have replaced many manufacturing jobs. A bottling plant to get a drink firm can replace 100 human workers having a string of stations that are robotic and only 2 human workers . More people unemployed by technology. Many young school graduates have studied robotics in the expectations to create a career because area. Now, here is the kicker (and it's real)... You can find firms which are actually designing robots building robots that are capable of!
Now let's get onto building! Well, I felt the same manner until I researched the robotics industry and found a startling new theory: Robotic construction workers!
Engineers supplied building patterns to the robots, and after that left them alone. The TERMES built the constructions by observing and responding to the other robots with no further instruction from humans -- around them.
Because they operate alone, the exact same construction plan may be carried out by a dozen TERMES or a hundred of these. The prototype TERMES use bricks that are constructed to assemble towers, castles, and pyramids. The researchers say they could also manage simple tasks like laying sandbags down before floodings.
Envision building sites where robotics replace human workers. Construction workers and carpenters can be displaced by the robots as well as the websites demanding only minimal supervision.
While this technology is still in image, the reality is that they have successfully created the beginning phases of its growth. Future generations may very well have to manage this particular new technology that may threaten those of us middle-aged carpenters' livelihood while they may well not need to compete with R2D2 taking over our jobs.
My advice to those up and comers in the industry....become a shop steward so you can watch over the robot workers!
There is an interesting video put out by Harvard that shows these Termes in action: http://youtu.be/LFwk303p0zY
About the author: Martin Chase is National Sales Director at Store Force, Inc., leading Union store fixture installers providing clients with fixture and mill work installations around the country. Martin can be reached at 631-672-3150 or by email at: unioninstallers@gmail.com
