Construction workers on some sites are getting new, non-union help. SAM – short for semi-automated mason – is a robotic bricklayer being used to increase productivity as it works with human masons.
SAM and a human mason work together. SAM repetitively lays bricks, leaving the detailed finishing touches to the mason.
In this human-robot team, the robot is responsible for the more rote tasks: picking up bricks, applying mortar, and placing them in their designated location. A human handles the more nuanced activities, like setting up the worksite, laying bricks in tricky areas, such as corners, and handling aesthetic details, like cleaning up excess mortar.
Even in completing repetitive tasks, SAM still has to be fairly adaptable. It’s able to complete precise and level work while mounted on a scaffold that sways slightly in the wind. The robot can correct for the differences between theoretical building specifications and what’s actually on site, says Scott Peters, cofounder of Construction Robotics, a company based in Victor, New York, that designed SAM as its debut product.
“In construction, your design will say that a window is located exactly 30 feet from the corner of a building, and in reality when you get to the building, nothing is ever where it says it’s supposed to be,” Peters says. “Masons know how to adapt to that, so we had to design a robot that knows how to do that, too.”
In its current iteration, the system is best suited to work on large swaths of flat walls, most commonly found in projects for universities, hospitals, and other large sites. But some amount of detailed work isn’t beyond the system’s abilities. SAM can emblazon a company logo in brick on a wall, for instance, by following a pixelated map of the image. It can also bump bricks in or out by about half an inch, to create a textured look to a wall face.
SAM is able to apply mortar to bricks before laying them, without human help.
The robot is able to do all of this using a set of algorithms, a handful of sensors that measure incline angles, velocity, and orientation, and a laser. The laser is rigged up between two poles at the extreme left and right sides of the robot’s work space, and moves up and down the wall as work progresses to act as an anchor point for the robot. Without this, the robot would not know exactly where to lay brick, or how to assess its motion on the scaffold relative to where the wall is.
Peters says SAM’s purpose is to leverage human jobs, not entirely replace them—a human mason can lay about 300 to 500 bricks a day, while SAM can lay about 800 to 1,200 bricks a day. One human plus one SAM equals the productivity of having four or more masons on the job.
Also in the family of robot construction workers is an Australian-designed machine called Hadrian, which can purportedly build a house made of 15,000 bricks in about two days. Hadrian, however, is still a prototype, while Construction Robotics will do its first limited commercial release of SAM this fall. Three units are for sale, each with a price tag around half a million dollars. With this cost in mind, Peters stresses that this kind of system will have the most payback on major commercial projects.
Real estate is considered a sound investment because its value generally rises with demand from a growing global population. Construction robotics is benefiting from this demand, as painters and builders increasingly turn to automation to make up for labor shortages.
However, some construction robotics providers have learned the hard way that judging partners and knowing their markets are just as important as demand.
new construction worker has been lending high-efficiency help to job sites, laying bricks at almost three times the speed of a human worker. SAM (short for Semi-Automated Mason) is a robotic bricklayer that handles the repetitive tasks of basic brick laying, MIT Technology Review reports. While SAM handles picking up bricks, applying mortar and placing them at designated locations, its human partner handles worksite setup, laying bricks in specific areas (e.g. corners) and improving the aesthetic quality of the masonry.
Despite its role in completing repetitive tasks, SAM can adapt to real jobsite conditions, including differentiating between theoretical drawings and the conditions of the actual building site. It is also capable of minor detailing, such as emblazoning a logo by following a pixel map of the image, and adding texture to the wall face by bumping bricks by half an inch.
“In construction, your design will say that a window is located exactly 30 feet from the corner of a building, and in reality when you get to the building, nothing is ever where it says it’s supposed to be,” said Scott Peters, cofounder of the company that designed SAM - Construction Robotics, in an interview with MIT Technology Review. “Masons know how to adapt to that, so we had to design a robot that knows how to do that, too.”
A human mason can lay between 300 to 500 bricks a day - SAM can lay 800 to 1200. Even so, Peters says that SAM’s purpose is to improve overall efficiency, not replace humans – there will always be jobs that a robot can’t do. One human working with one SAM equals roughly four or more masons on a single job.
As we look back on our own lives and the lives of our grandparents, it is easy to see a snapshot of 60 to 100 years. So many new developments have been made during this timeframe that have a direct and indirect influence on all of us. We quickly think of medicine, transportation and communication. These arenas have been changed dramatically. Can you imagine where we would be without penicillin? Air travel is common place to us now. To our elder grandparents, it wasn’t even an idea. And communication – the cell phone is a way of life today.
So what about the construction industry? Count on your fingers (you probably don’t need your toes) the real improvements to the industry. Yes, we have lasers that help us with grades and elevations. Much better than the water hose with glass tubes at the ends. This has been a real boost for the site work segment, for cuts/fills and grades. But, for the most part, the work of the construction industry has been the same for generations. People have done the hard and taxing work. Dad, Grandpa and their predecessors worked day in and out, building our country and the world.
We have a tremendous opportunity today to use the advancements of technology and to find new advancements, to bring the construction industry into the 21st century. The backs of manpower and womenpower should not be the primary tool of the industry. We have, I believe, an obligation to the people of the industry to make their lives better and improve the efficiencies of the construction process. In short, the construction industry should advance, just like its counterparts in medicine, transportation and communication.
WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?
Men have historically lifted the load, carried it to the needed location and placed it in its desired location. Cranes and other lifting devices have aided the processes that were done with pulleys and ropes. We should marvel at the Roman and Greek structures, how they were constructed with the available means and methods – a tremendous achievement. Time and economics are now increasing the need for new means and methods. The industry does not have the luxury of endless durations, and the work force is slowly diminishing as experienced tradesmen age. The workforce needs to be protected from injury and age-related physical developments. One cannot be satisfied to continue the course. The career positions should be both challenging and rewarding, and attractive to new young talent.
WHO WILL LEAD THE WAY?
Universities, technical schools and organized labor are the primary sources and leaders for educating the workforce of the future. A great opportunity exists in the construction industry, largely due to the continuous need to build. Training and education are at the heart of the future. As other industries have implemented new technology, including robotics, they have gone through periods of re-training and increased education. That has allowed those industries to create high-demand technical jobs and attract a stronger work force. New studies have shown that implementing robotics and new technology helps companies to be more efficient and, in many cases, doesn’t reduce the number of jobs but can actually increase that number. Re-training and education are a big part of that job growth. We can’t continue to think short term and expect our industry to grow and succeed. We must think about attracting more young people and giving them new, engaging tools to make their job more appealing and interesting. Investing in new technology, equipment and training is an investment in your people and the future of the industry.
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