The construction industry is one of the least automated ones and depends chiefly on manual labor. However, there has been an increasing acceptance of technologies like robots and drones in the last few years.
With the growing labor shortage, there's scope for the use of robots on site. To improve the layout process with the help of robotics, construction company Consigli partnered with Rugged Robotics to test the use of small robotic vehicles for field layout.
The Consigli-Rugged pilot was carried out for performing the field layout of a 240,000 sq. ft. life sciences building for Sanofi. The pilot involved carrying out field layout by small robotic vehicles instead of the conventional method (using tape measures and chalk lines).
These vehicles, with integrated print heads, were able to mark fully coordinated designs directly onto the concrete floor. The process was carried by uploading project drawing into the system, followed by rolling robotic vehicles around the job site for layout. The new technique fares better than the conventional one in terms of speed, accuracy, and coordination.
The pilot took shape when CEO Anthony Consigli and Jack Moran, Director of VDC and integrated services for Consigli, reached out to Derrick Morse, co-founder and CEO of Rugged Robotics. Derrick Morse visited different job sites and interacted with construction workers over a two-year period.
Moran said, "The company aims to use technology in the field of construction in a safe and efficient way and will continue its collaboration with Rugged Robotics to exhibit new applications for robotic vehicles on job sites."
With the success of the pilot, Moran believes that it is just a small step towards the use of Robotics in construction work. In the future, Robotics can be applied to undertake control checkups, move construction materials around job sites, and carry high-risk works that are not safe for humans.
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