Robots for the Construction Industry

Abstract

Employing robots on building sites may have been considered an unattainable fantasy in the past or simply a futuristic dream. Many construction practitioners are fiercely opposed to the use of robots and are wary of losing their jobs when such creations are intelligent enough to replace human resources. In contrast, the prohibitively high costs of manufacturing, producing and using robots on-site, in comparison to the costs of hiring labourers, is a major concern thwarting the ideas of many construction practitioners who wish to try something new and innovatory. Hence, hiring a robot to work on-site is not an imminent threat to the workers. Nevertheless, the recent technological breakthrough has caused waves in the industry and excited interest. It is reasonable to foresee that robots will usher in a new era in the construction industry. In this chapter, we adopt the data and method triangulation approach to study the construction practitioners’, academics’ and tool providers’ viewpoints with regard to the costs and benefits of robots on construction safety and the construction industry. The interview results show that academics and construction practitioners in different parts of the world worry that robots may take jobs away from manual labourers. Wearable robotics have recently been introduced to one of the companies in Hong Kong’s construction industry, yet most workers and even safety officers have no knowledge of this advance. A focus group interview has been conducted with a PowerPoint presentation and some research participants have worn the wearable robotics and commented on the tools’ usefulness and efficacy.