Will Robots Take Over The Construction Industry?
How often have we heard politicians promising to bring manufacturing jobs back to the USA? Perhaps I'm over thinking it, but unless you are making some really expensive items it is going to be a challenge to provide American workers minimum wage to stand on an assembly line and put together key-chains and such. Come to think about it, there are several quite expensive items like all of Apple's products that have low material price and sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Those components could be fantastic to manufacture in the usa and pay a decent wage to workers. But, wait, when they are able to pay a couple of hundred dollars a month to do it overseas why fabricate here? And and so the problem continues.
As sales director for Union store fixture and factory work facilities I comprehend more than ever important labor unions are to our work force. With many Americans working than we see many corporations cutting on shifts -hours so they are ineligible for health benefits. We're learning to be a country of part time workers, which isn't going to sustain us live the American dream and to raise families.
Due to Labor Unions like the International Brotherhood of Carpenters, which we are members of, there are lots of safeguards. An honest wage for a day's work by skilled workers that are well - trained and focused on quality and security.
We talk about the future of our kids along with the brand new generation in regards to what types of occupations will be accessible to them and frequently sit about.
Computers and robots have replaced many manufacturing jobs. 100 workers that are human can be replaced by a bottling plant to get a drink firm with a run of robotic stations and just 2 human workers . More people jobless by technology. Many young college grads have studied robotics in the expectations to build a career because area. You will find businesses which are really designing robots capable of building robots!
Now let's get onto building! We as union carpenters, while more states include "right to work" are still feeling safe a guy with tools will consistently are employed. Well, I felt the same way until I found a startling new concept: Robotic construction workers and studied the robotics industry!
Yes, it's accurate, based on Science Journal, an image of a brand new robot known as "termes" has been developed that may one day revolutionize the construction industry. Engineers supplied the robots with building patterns, and then left them alone. The TERMES constructed the constructions by detecting and responding to the other robots with no additional instruction from individuals -- around Engineers. The same construction plan may be executed by a dozen TERMES or a hundred of them, because they work alone. Because their directives are so simple--put down a brick that fits in the building plan, where no one else has laid one down- little processing power is required by them. The prototype TERMES use constructed bricks to build towers, castles, and pyramids. The researchers say they could also manage simple jobs like laying sandbags down before floods. While the prototype robots are about the dimensions of a desk phone, researchers say they could eventually scale them up or down.
Envision construction sites where robotics replace human workers. Construction workers and carpenters can be displaced by the robots and also the websites demanding only minimal oversight.
While this technology is still in image, the truth is that they've successfully created the beginning stages of its development. Future generations may well need to deal with this new technology that can threaten those of us middle-aged carpenters' livelihood, while they may not have to contend with R2D2 taking over our jobs.
My advice to those up-and-comers in the business....become a shop steward to help you 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
