Construction sites will be human-free by 2050, according to Balfour Beatty

It may seem a bit far-fetched, but by 2050, construction sites may be completely human-free, at least according to a new paper from Balfour Beatty titled “Innovation 2050 – A digital future for the infrastructure industry.”

The paper claims work that is currently done by humans will be accomplished via robots that work in teams to build complex structures using dynamic new materials. Elements of the build will have the capability to self-assemble and drones will constantly scan the site to collect data that can predict and solve problems before they arise. The drones can then use the information they gain to send instructions to robotic cranes and diggers and automated builders.

Humans will still have a role to play, albeit not on the actual job site. Humans will be able to remotely oversee multiple projects at once. If a bit of science fiction flair is what you want, then look no further than how humans will make site visits in the future, on the rare occasions they are necessary. Like Ripley in a Caterpillar P-5000 from Aliens, humans making a site visit will be equipped with exoskeletons to move and control machinery on site.

As part of the paper, Balfour Beatty also lists ten predictions for 2050, including:

1. The industry will become increasingly focused on innovation and both contractors and customers will become less risk-averse.

2. The shape and offer of the infrastructure industry will change significantly, with new business models, products and services.

3. Infrastructure will move on from concrete and steel to include new materials that respond to their surroundings.

For the additional 2050 predictions, click here.

[embedded content]

Interesting read originally from BDC Network

Comments

AAMA releases new document on aluminum fenestration and energy efficiency

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) recently released a new white paper that discusses the use of aluminum in high-performing building enclosures. AMC-2-26, “Aluminum in High-Performing Building Enclosures,” is now available in the AAMA online store as a complimentary download. “This white paper was needed in order to educate and inform the marketplace about the energy advantages of using aluminum fenestration,” said Elizabeth Cotton (Kawneer), chair of the AMC Marketing Committee. “With today's technology, these products can achieve current and foreseeable stringent codes requirements in an efficient and innovative manner, as well as achieving credits through green building certification programs.” The document addresses aluminum extrusions used in the manufacture of entrances, storefront framing, curtain walls, windows and skylight fenestration systems. Aluminum products can be sustainable due to the recyclability of aluminum that helps conserve energy ...

WeWork takes on a construction management app provider

WeWork, the New York-based urban workspace designer and redeveloper that’s one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., has acquired Fieldlens, a six-year-old producer of construction management applications that allow for more efficient on-site communications. Most construction projects “are broken social networks,” says Doug Chambers, Fieldlens’ founder. His company’s app helps make a jobsite environment more like Facebook or a social feed, where everyone on site is communicating in real time, all the time. An example Chambers gives is a project manager who is walking a site, and using the app on his smartphone to send observations, pictures, confirmations, and directives to other crew members. Chambers says that on one jobsite in Buffalo, N.Y., the Fieldlens app is facilitating 1,000 interactions per day, on average, among the 80 to 100 workers on site. “Fieldlens lets people get back to work,” and not get bogged down on a lot of administrative and paperwork duties, says Cha...

ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator rebounds in 2017

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) rose to 9 months during the first quarter of 2017, up 8.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016. CBI is up by 0.4 months, or 4 percent, on a year-over-year basis. “This was a terrific report,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “For the first time in the series’ history, every category—firm size, industry and region—registered quarterly growth in CBI. Among the big winners were firms in the western United States and those with annual revenues between $30 million and $50 million per annum" Highlights by Region Surging financial markets helped support activity in financial centers like New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Expanding cyber-security and life sciences activity supported markets as geographically diverse as Washington/Baltimore; Austin, Texas; Silicon Valley, Calif., and Seattle. Though backlog is slightly lower in the South on a year-over-year basis, ...

The Erick Burns Show

Search This Blog