Will Robots Take Over The Construction Industry?

How often have we heard politicians promising to bring back manufacturing jobs to the USA? Maybe I'm over thinking it, but unless you're making some quite expensive items it is going to be challenging to provide American workers minimum wage to stand on an assembly line and put key-chains and such together. Come to think of it, there are many really expensive items like all of Apple's products that sell for tens of thousands or hundreds of dollars and have low material price. Those elements will be fantastic pay workers a decent wage and to fabricate in America. But, wait, when workers can pay a few hundred dollars a month to do it overseas why make here? And and so the problem continues.

As sales manager for factory work facilities and Union store fixture I understand more than ever how important labor unions are to our work force. With many Americans working than ever we find many corporations cutting shifts to less than 30 -hours so they're not entitled to health benefits. We are becoming a country of part time workers, which is not going to endure us to raise families and live the American dream.

Thanks to Labor Unions which we are members of, there are some safeguards.

We talk about the future of our kids along with the new generation to what sorts of occupations will probably be accessible to them in regards and often sit about. It is a growth industry, not only in the USA but overseas as well.

Many manufacturing jobs have been replaced by computers and robots. 100 human workers can be replaced by a bottling plant for a beverage business with just 2 workers that are human and some robotic stations to turn them on and off. More individuals unemployed by technology. Robotics have been studied by many young school graduates in the expectations to create a lifetime career in that area. Now, here is the kicker (and it's real)... There are businesses that are really designing robots building robots that are capable of!

Now let's get onto construction! We as union carpenters, while more states embrace "right to work" are still feeling safe that a man with tools will also are employed. Well, I felt the same manner until I found a startling new theory: Robotic construction workers and studied the robotics industry!

Yes, it's true, according to Science Journal, an image of a new robot referred to as "termes" continues to be developed that may one day revolutionize the construction industry. Engineers provided the robots with construction patterns, and then left them alone. The TERMES built the constructions by observing and responding to the other robots with no further instruction from humans -- around Engineers. The same construction plan can be carried out by a dozen TERMES or a hundred of them, since Engineers operate independently. The prototype TERMES use bricks that are constructed to assemble towers, castles, and pyramids. The researchers say they may also manage simple tasks like laying sandbags down before floodings. Researchers say they could eventually scale them up or down while the prototype robots are about the size of a desk phone.

Visualize building sites where human workers are replaced by robotics. Carpenters and construction workers can be displaced by the robots as well as the websites demanding only minimum supervision.

The reality is that they've created the beginning stages of this technology's development, while it is still in prototype. Future generations may well need to handle this particular new technology that can threaten those of us middle-aged carpenters' livelihood while they may well not need to contend with R2D2 taking over our jobs.

My guidance to those up-and-comers in the business....become a shop steward to help you see 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