HOW ROBOTICS IS CHANGING CONSTRUCTION, By Sarah B. Hood
FROM THE JETSONS’ MAID ROSEY to Optimus Prime, BB-8 and WALL-E, we’ve all grown up with robot pals. Most of them have been fictional, but the robot revolution is now underway in real life, with potential benefits for both the Canadian tech sector and the construction industry.
Canadians are already making their mark in robotics. A 2016 report by Global Affairs Canada titled Canada’s Robotics Industry noted that “Canada is a hotbed of automation potential due in part to a regulatory environment that is favourable to testing and development and in part to a wealth of post-secondary institutions offering programs in robotics and related fields. In fact, with a 35 per cent annual growth in robot orders from 2010 to 2015, Canada [was leading] the North American rise in demand for robots.”
Of course, today’s robots look more like R2-D2 than C-3PO, with exceptions like the HRP-5P, developed by Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a metallic humanoid that can pick up, carry and install a sheet of drywall. The category of robotic technology includes drones, which are now becoming common for functions like roof inspections and aerial photography, and self-driving vehicles, which are already fairly common in warehouses and coming soon to a highway near you. Read More (Pages 22-24)…
“This article is being provided with the permission of the Toronto Construction Association©2021”