Term Project Description

For my term project I chose to explore the uses and potential uses of robotics in construction, particularly in the structural component manufacturing and assembling.  Professor Mitchell suggested I further narrow down my topic to make it a more manageable project for the term.  Taking this into consideration I think I am going to research how robotics can and will impact the precast concrete industry. More particularly, the manufacturing of prestressed elements in the plant.  I had done a co-op with a precast manufacturer my sophomore year and have first hand experience with how the plant is run.  I am also currently taking a concrete design course, as well as a prestressed concrete design course.  Using all of the knowledge I have gained from these and the knowledge I will gain from these courses, I would be able to better understand in which ways the use of robotics would benefit this facet of the industry.  While I believe that robotics could and eventually will become the main components of a prestressed concrete plant, I believe that there is still a large human component necessary for the success of the plant.

While I had worked at the precast plant I had noticed that there was great deal of automation within the plant, but was in a very primitive form.  I am not sure if this was just because the plant I worked at was in great need of an update, or if this was common among precast plants.  Either way, there was much room for improvement.  I remember the concrete mixing plant being in the back of the building, where normal concrete trucks would receive the concrete and then continue to drive through the plant to their destination, all the while mixing as if they were delivering concrete to a site in the field miles away.  This seemed very inefficent and time consuming and potentially dangerous.  A truck meant for operating on an open road was opperating in an environmet with people walking aroud in close quarters.  These trucks have many blindspots and are not meant to be driven indoors like that.  There was also the issue of pulling the prestressing tendons to their design tension, a very dangerous taks.  If one of those strands had pulled or snapped it could have easily killed someone.  There is also the health hazard of working in an environment with all of the chemicals and dust associated with precast plants. 

I want to discuss how and if robotics will be implemented into the precast manufacturaing industry in the near future.  I feel this is an industry that can benefit from the use of robotics in a big way.

I found the project being done by Maria Gabriela Gonzalez and her partner to be very interesting and pretty similar to my project.  They talk about using robots in construction in the field; particularly for the more repetetive, automated tasks as well.  I think that once the technology becomes more advanced this will become much more feasible. 

Sources:  My first hand experience in a precast plant at Universal Concrete Products Corporation

 

Term Project - Robotics in Construction

As Maria Gonzalez mentioned in her blog, we chose to write a paper about Robotics in Construction. Robotics is a highly developed technology and it is starting to be a big part of the construction industry due to the increased efficiency and productivity. Robots often perform tasks that are repetitive, dangerous, or distasteful which could potentially create safety hazards for humans. Additionally, from the business point of view, robots can work anytime without long breaks.

The paper will focus on the present and the future of the industrial robots. There are already robots involved in the construction industry; the wall and brick assembly robots, the tele-operated concrete distribution robots, and automated building construction systems. As mentioned above, there are many tasks that could potentially result in dangerous situations; robots can perform arc welding of metal components of building frames, insulation and application of adhesives or sealants to building materials such as windows.The use of robotics in the construction industry can result in an unlimited number of applications and capabilities. We all have heard about the 30-story hotel built in 15 days in China.

The paper will also discuss the social impacts of employing robots in the construction industry. There is a lot of discussion around this topic and whether robots will replace the human workforce or not. According to Sam Stathis, an electrical contractor, inventor and CEO of Theometrics, there will be plenty of jobs for everyone. However, there are other people that think robots will take over.

I believe that Robotics and Intelligent Buildings are closely related to one another. As John Scanlon mentions in his blog, we have to find solutions in order to increase the efficiency of the buildings. Although he is talking about existing buildings, it is very true for new construction as well and robotics can rapidly increase the efficiency of the buildings.


Sources:
Healey, John. November 2012. Coming Soon: Robots that Help Build Buildings. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/13/news/la-ol-theometrics-robots-not-my-enemy-20121113>

Final Project: Robotics in Construction

The topic my partner (Elda Cilifgu) and I will research about is Robotics in Construction. This was the one of the topics suggested by Prof. Mitchell of most interest to us.

Building objects are generally produce by people who perform a task using an equipment. Generally the worker performs several tasks and the equipment does the rest. Nowadays due to the increase in technology newer and more suitable machines are available in the market. Being able to design and create this robots and automated construction process has provided multiple benefits in the construction department. Some of the major benefits are reduction of time and cost, better performance, improve working condition, avoid dangerous work, and perform jobs that people cannot do. Robotics in construction is related to intelligent building, because the making of this robotics is directly affecting human building process. Intelligent building is not only in the technology inside the building but the one use to construct it.

The research will focus on the study of 4 robots: Wall and Brick assembly robots, Tele-operated concrete distribution, automated building construction system and robotic arc welding system.  Tele-operated concrete distribution is a material manipulator machine. Its purpose is concrete placing with higher quality and safety, while reducing the number of worker required. Wall and brick assembly robots are machine operated by a human in which are being use to assemble or dissemble wall panels in high-rise buildings. The main benefit of this machine is that it provides great safety to workers. Automated construction system is a new construction method that installed steel members, panels among others on high-rise buildings. It defers form the conventional tower crane system, because it integrates weather warehouse facilities, automated conveyor equipment and computer controls. It job is to increase the productivity and improve the working environment. Robotic arc welding system is a performed and controlled by a robotic working in high duty cycles. Our research will finish by talking about the future of robotics in the construction industry and its social impacts. The main challenge we could phase, is finding enough information on the future robotics in construction.  There are so many ideas but not all might be realistic.

My classmate Rita Pauliushchyk and her team have a very interesting topic for their final project. They will study and analyze the library to see how people feel in its environment and related to sensors (temperature control, humidity levels, noise from HVAC equipment). I believe they will come back with interesting information from the students. I personally believe the library is lacking in many basic needs. Depending in where you are it can get really hot when it is crowed and uncomfortable to study in. Im looking forward to hear what you guys find. 

Robotics in Our Future

If the last 50 years has taught us anything about robotics, its that the rate of growth of use and capabilities of them is increasing every day.  When robots were first brought into the production industy, they simply aided humans in doing tasks they could not do themselves.  Today, there are fully autonimous robotic manufacturing plants that require little to no human intervention.  Some plants have systems in place where the robotic components are able to self-diagnose and even fix themselves or other robots.  While there are clearly many benefits to giving certain tasks to humans, there are many reasons to give the repetitive, precise jobs to robots.  Robots have a greater ability than humans to replicate tasks with greater precision as well.  Whether society accepts it or not, robots are becoming a staple in the manufacturing industry.

      Let's face it, simple repetetive jobs are boring and sometimes can be dangerous. In Robert Lamb's article "How have robots changed manufacturing?", he discusses the first time factories started using modern industrial robots in 1961.  The managers, supervisors, and owners all grew to love this new asset to their plant.  It never called in sick, never got tired, could work 24 hours a day and never have to be paid overtime, and was stronger and more precise than any human could be.  For these simple facts alone, robotics popularity grew rapidly in the manufacturing industry.

     In a Time Magazine article by Christopher Mathews, it is argued that robotics in manufacturing will actually help bring jobs back to America.  While they admit this seems counterintuitive, they refer to a Boston based company called Rethink Robots.  Here they have developed a relatively cheap robot that is able to simple, repetetive tasks efficiently and can learn tasks as well.  What this will do is allow manufacturers an American option to the cheap labor they pay for overseas.  With higher energy costs, and the growth of these developing countries manufacturers are looking to the U.S. to make products they plan on selling her anyways.  By utilizing this cheaper robot for repetetive, simple tasks, humans will be better utilized doing the more complicated tasks involved in the manufacturing.  While other students have claimed that robots will rob Americans of jobs, this robot, Baxter, is already helping American manufacturers gain an edge in the global market.  A plastics company in Connecticut has shown the robots veratility in doing tasks that would under-utilize a human.  To program the robot to do a new task, someone just has to show it how to do it, as if they were showing another human.  This just shows that robots may not be the death of manufacturing jobs in America. 






http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429248/this-robot-could-transform-manufacturing/

Lamb, Robert.  "How have robots changed manufacturing?"  10 November 2010.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/robots-changed-manufacturing.htm>  15 January 2013.

http://business.time.com/2012/09/27/can-robots-bring-back-manufacturing-jobs-to-the-u-s/

Week 2 - Robotics Capabilities

Week 2 – Robotics Capabilities

David Bregande

1/15/13

                Modern technology and a concentrated focus on the field has allowed for amazing advancements in robotic technology and its potential in everyday life.    It is clear that the movements, positions and physical abilities of these robots are increasing and that they will be able to perform tasks in multiple fields and for multiple reasons.  With the physical potential of robots advancing at a fast pace, I find now that the biggest challenge is making these machines practical, ergonomic, easy to operate and safe.  Without these parameters being met, robotics will die in the few hands of the extremely well trained and knowledgeable people that can actual use them.

                Given the vast amount that can be said about this subject, I will focus on the industrial field because it is the area most affected by robotics today.  If you research the Kia factory in Slovakia, you find a huge assembly line completely composed of robots, mainly 6-axis arms.  My initial reaction to this factory is that it looks scary and dangerous.  The machines are all very heavy, move very fast, are very big and make very loud noises.  The whole line appears to move as one with a virtual absence of human presence on the floor.  Although you only see machines, I am assuming that there are rooms full of people on computers that are ensuring the proper operation of these robots.  There were also rooms of people programming these robots as well as millions of dollars spent on constructing them.  To me this means that there is a huge separation between human and machine and that anyone having to do anything with the process is highly trained and specialized.

                The counter to this separation flaw, and in my opinion a much better way of integrating humans with robots, is presented in the form of BAXTER.  BAXTER is an industrial robot that is much more agronomical than the “system” put together by Kia.  On top of actually resembling a human being, BAXTER can be trained by a human with very little knowledge of the robot and no programing experience.  A worker can physically move the robot around in order to teach it and thus is able to continually change the robot to assist with the workers task.  It is also a very safe system that can be used around and with human beings.  It is this system that will allow for the worker and the machine to come together and help each other, rather than one completely dominating the other.

SOURCES:

• Six-Axis Robot – 2.25min
• Kia Sportage Factory Production Line – 1.75min
• Baxter – 2012 –Rethink Robotics – Safer industrial robot 4:15
• http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/
• http://www.kia-press.com/presskits/corporate/factoryslovakia/factoryslovakia.aspx

Future of Robotics in Our World

According to an article summarizing the 8th annual RoboBusiness Leadership Summit held this past October, the robotics industry claims that the most growth in robotics will be seen in the areas of warehousing, distribution, and manufacturing. Within the next ten to twenty years, robotics technology will provide robots that can be taught manufacturing processes in a day or move, sort, and distribute products throughout a warehouse. While some people may be worried by the potential loss of jobs or the ““the ending of the human era” as Jay mentioned in his post, it is inevitable that robots will eventually be integrated into our everyday work and home lives.

An article was posted on the official class blog from Wired entitled “Better Than Human: Why Robots Will – And Must – Take Our Jobs.” This article addresses the fear humans have that robots will eventually take our jobs and leave people unemployed by pointing out that 70% of American workers lost their jobs to technology during the industrial revolution. Workers responded by adapting and finding jobs in the new fields that this technology created. The same will happen when robots become incorporated into our lives in the next hundred years. Robotics will enhance the current workforce by first completing tasks involving repetitive, manual labor but will eventually move to “information-intensive” jobs.

Robots will definitely infiltrate the workplace in most industries, and building and construction are not excluded. Through watching the video in class of the flying robots placing blocks and creating a pre-determined structure, it was apparent to me that robots will play a role in future construction sites. Another interesting point the Wired article addressed is that robots are being designed to work alongside humans. The article from the Leadership Summit addresses that “humans can do things that robots will not be able to do for a long time,” and provides the example that robots can much more effectively move goods while humans can perform dexterous grabbing. Imagine how much faster a construction job could be completed if robots could work with humans to accomplish tasks. Obviously there are many safety and cost issues that must be worked out, but I see this as being a probable direction for our future within the next hundred years.

http://www.library.drexel.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1243385066?accountid=10559
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29

Future of Robotics

An autonomous robot is a robot that performs a task without human intervention. There are many autonomous robots in existence today, such as those used in the automotive industry to assemble cars. In the future there will be many, many more autonomous robots all around us performing a variety of everyday tasks.

A specific task that autonomous robots will likely perform is the act of driving our vehicles for us. An article by Prof. Seth Teller of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory wrote an article discussing the ability of robots to drive our vehicles for us. Teller’s article states that there are a multitude of benefits from having robots drive our vehicles including, safety, productivity and energy efficiency. Imagine being able to talk on your cell phone, write a report or finish work that you did not complete; all on your way home. Smart cars like these will be able to increase fuel efficiency and prolong the life of the car. Additionally, accidents between vehicles may be reduced if vehicles were able to communicate between each other, something that human drivers are not always able to do.

In order for these vehicles to function there must still be a human and machine interaction such as telling the vehicle where to go. The system must also be able to communicate with the world around it effectively. This is done by placement of sensors that will give the car its bearings; the vehicle must know where it is specifically in the world, as well as what is in its vicinity. Technology like this already exists in retail warehouses on a smaller scale. Hundreds of robots know exactly where they are located inside of a warehouse, interact with eachother, and are able to travel down "robot highways" in order to pick products off of shelves. It is just a matter of time till the scale is increased to aid the human race in transportation. The future of robotics, especially in this case, can be scary to some people, but with proper engineering, the benefits that it can bring to the human race are limitless.

Articles:

Autonomous Passenger Vehicles 

Autonomous robots invade retail warehouses 

Robotics

Robotics are without a doubt, going to be a part of the future of our world whether we choose to accept it, or not. The science of robotics has been a reality for quite some time, however the acceptance of robotics into our everyday culture is becoming an increasingly prevalent phenomena.

In an article by Kanina Foss, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, one of the the leaders in robotics today, discusses the role of robotics in our near future. He has created a new generation of robots that mimic human tendencies, to the point where it is difficult to tell whether it is human. An interesting point that he brings up is the idea that children can not utilize computers, however they have the ability to interact with other humans (and robots resembling humans). Leading us to the conclusion that these robots will be more inclusive than the computers that we so aptly rely upon. The inclusion of robotics by society will be a transition comparable to that of automobiles and computers.

In fact, MIT has an entire branch of their Computer Science department dedicated to the study of Artificial Intelligence, as Dan James also mentioned. They have a team of graduate students and scientists that are responsible for a humanoid robotics study on a robot named Coco. I believe that with the integration of the study of robotics into our universities, the idea of robots will become more widely accepted by our culture at large.

Sources:

http://phys.org/news/2012-11-future-full-robots.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Ishiguro

http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/humanoid-robotics-group/coco/coco.html

Future of Robotics

The future of robotics might look completely different than what we’d expect. Instead of the humanoid robots we come to love and fear, future robots would vary by the thousands.  This “robotic swarm” is a theory that in the future, robotic technology would be so advanced that it would be fast, cheap, and out of control. Dominic Basulto - “Just as the computer revolution started with massive mainframes and evolved to the personal computer and handheld tablets, the robotics revolution is taking the same path”. Everyday life would involve these machines just like how we use computers today.

With the oncoming storm of robotic technology it’s hard not to worry about the impact it will cause to the economy and especially our jobs. In an article I’ve read they have listed the top 10 occupations that robots will eventually take over. Some of them are worth noting like musicians, with Toyota’s trumpet playing robot, 2006’s “Haile” which plays the drums and 2010’s marimba playing “Shimon” which can adapt and learn while playing with a person, it seems like the future is near. Next gone from our job list are surgeons, they will be taken over by mechanical arms that perform precision cuts without the human error. In fact some hospitals have already been using them. Another interesting one is a novelist, they say that people are working on technology that computes sentences, paragraphs and everything from crude jokes to philosophical arguments. There were many other jobs on the list; artists, teachers, robotic lover (I’m not going there), and soldiers.

With more and more robots taking over jobs the distinction between robots and humans is become blurred. Like how in Kayleigh Houde blog post mentions that robots in the near future will "mimic human tendencies, to the point where it is difficult to tell whether it is human.". Also saying that children will interact with these robots as much as computers today, which is a scary thought considering the fact that children in the future will be taught by these robotic teachers. The lines between humanity and robotics will be crossed.

With the eventuality of robotics doing almost everything from teaching our future youth to our own medical health, where would be the boundaries to robotic capabilities? In light of this question I found a 1993 article, from a former mathematics professor Vernor Vinge. He coined the term “technological singularity”, a phenomenon of technological acceleration causing an eventual unpredictable future or in his words “the ending of the human era”.  He argues that with the technological advances that eventually will come, there will be the creation of a superhuman intelligent entity. That will become the catalyst of the creation of even more superhuman intelligent entities, like a cell dividing. This plausible future is a little too bleak for me, but it is a possibility and one to think about.

http://bigthink.com/endless-innovation/the-robotic-future-is-fast-cheap-and-out-of-control

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-ways-robots-could-replace-humans.htm

http://mindstalk.net/vinge/vinge-sing.html

Robotics of the Future

The definition of the future is a lose concept and varies depending on the terms in which it is being considered. In reference to advances in technology, I would consider the near future to be within in the next ten years, and the distant future to be anytime in the next century and beyond.

Where do we expect to see robotics go in the future? Rodney Brooks, CEO of Rethink Robotics predicts “Over the next twenty years no one is going to mistake a robot for a person, but nevertheless, we will interact and collaborate with robots and they will become as common place in our lives as turning to a search engine is today.” Another source, Forbes, predicts that robots will aid in several different aspects of our every day lives, as well as aid in the advance of research in future. I think Forbes prediction is both reasonable and probable. Robotics will perform tasks involving deep sea and space exploration, processing waste, helping the police, helping the elderly and handicapped live better, longer lives, medical surgery that can do what a human can’t do, cleaning our homes, smart homes, cars and cities.

Next, it is important to consider what implications these advances have on society. There are several people out there who shun these advances, arguing that advances. They may argue that advances in robotic building technology, such as that shown in the video in class, demonstrates great advances in construction means but leaves the questions of safety and human interaction that may result in injury or lose of jobs. While I agree that this could create less human interaction, I believe that if we allow robots to perform tasks that are feasible for a robot mind, such as placing blocks in specific locations, while still making sure that humans are working hand in hand with these machines, that they could reap great benefits. Robots being able to perform these types of “mindless” tasks can save both time and money.  

In both Kayleigh and Junwah's discussion posts they bring up the intriguing topic of robots teaching the children of future generations. Kayleigh mentions that children are not able to utilize computers, but have the ability to interact with robots resembling humans. While the initial thought of children not being taught by other humans is baffling, the use of these robots may allow children to begin absorbing information at a younger age then the use of current technology would allow. I am interested to see what will come of this topic.

Another topic of discussion regarding robotics is it's advances in the medical field. I came across an article about a woman named Jan that, with training, has very rapidly learned to control a robotic arm through her thoughts. This is a prime example of the life changing benefits that advances in robotics can have on society, and I believe that we should work hard towards moving technology further in the future.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2012/09/18/part-1-future-of-robotics-manufacturing-gets-a-makeover-with-baxter/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2012/09/02/a-new-series-the-future-of-robotics-the-next-20-years/

"Doctors 'blown away' by woman using thoughts to control robotic arm." The Guardian (London) - Final Edition. (December 17, 2012 Monday ): 756 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2013/01/10.

Common Topic Labels for the Course

Below are topics that we'll address in the course.  This post also creates those topics as Labels for use when you're putting in your own blog posts.

TOPIC

AI

BIM

Building

Civil

Computer

Database

Design

Electrical

Environmental

Future

Hardware

HVAC

Manufacturing

Robotics

Sensor

Software

Structures

System

Term Project