Every single phase of the construction process from the initial sales and marketing through construction and finally to the closing of every new home is having problems that weren’t even on the radar just 20 years ago.
Labor has and will continue to be a problem for our industry and the only way to relieve some of the pain of labor shortages is to find innovative ways to work around it. Here is one example of how innovation is helping fight the dwindling labor pool.
As workers retire, the construction industry faces increasing difficulty finding operators for heavy machinery. Considering this looming shortage, SRI has developed this robotic solution to automate repetitive actions such as digging and enables intuitive remote operation for more complex actions.
SRI says this progressive autonomy approach will increase the productivity of remaining workers, create new opportunities for remote workers, and encourage new workers to join the industry by making equipment operations safer and more comfortable.
The “smart excavator” can be operated remotely and comes with an augmented reality system which makes the process secure, more convenient, and “as easy as playing a video game”.
If you look close, however, you’ll see the excavator equipped with non-standard features, including several depth-sensing 3D cameras pointed in all directions, as well as antennas and wireless communication hardware. The cameras let the excavator function all by itself if needed, following pre-programmed instructions on where to dig which it can follow all day and all night long without a break.
Its autonomous capabilities also include intelligent people detection, causing the excavator to pause its work and flash warning lights when someone gets too close for it, including in blind spot areas where human operators might not spot someone approaching.
CLICK HERE to read the entire Robotics and Automation article
Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder. Email at [email protected]
To learn more about the Offsite Construction Industry, sign up for your free monthly issue of Offsite Builder, the Construction Magazine for Builders and Developers
