In the automotive industry, this future vision of automation like a “modern family†is becoming a reality. Today, engineers want the construction industry to be the next automation target. From Apis Cor's 3D printed homes to the new multi-purpose robotic arm of the MIT Media Lab, start-ups and research departments are moving toward similar goals, triggering a digital revolution in this difficult-to-subvert industry.
In July 2016, in a parking lot in California, a 15-meter-wide, 6-meter-high semi-dome-style building rose in just 2 days. It uses a robotic arm mounted on a self-driving, tank-like carrier that uses 13.5 hours to stack plastic foam layer by layer until it finally expands into a huge yellow beehive. MIT hopes that its Digital Building Platform (DCP) will first lay the foundation for future architecture.
Research leader Steven Keating said: "We have seen great potential through the design of the digital process. But we have not seen it really change the construction site." Although we are welcoming the so-called The "fourth industrial revolution" dawned, but construction workers still work as before: stacking rectangles, and sometimes even relying on their hands.
Buildings are a huge industry that consumes far more raw materials than other industries and accounts for 11% of global economic activity. However, the industry has always been known for its inefficiency, and the construction industry has produced half of the US solid waste, making it the preferred target for automation. Unlike indoor decoration, however, construction sites often rely on the kindness of nature. We rely more on building safety than on other consumer products. Dr. Keating explained that in view of this, the construction industry is often reluctant to accept innovation. He said: "People's concerns about the structure of the building will last for 50 to 100 years. After all, life is always full of risks."
However, some organizations believe they have made a breakthrough. In February of this year, the starter Apis Cor's robotic arm built the wall by using a quick-drying concrete layer and built its so-called first on-site 3D printing house. The company's spokesperson, Ko nstantin Nefedev, said they spent a month completing a $10,000 housing model, including wiring and finishing, and it took only one day to print the walls.
It's easy to discover the charm of this technology. Printing walls allows construction workers to accurately predict the amount and timing of materials needed, which can help reduce costs. Indeed, the University of Southern California is developing a similar Co ntour Crafting system with the goal of building cheap homes for hundreds of millions of people in developing countries. But technology is only part of the factor, Nephidoff wrote in an email: "There are several obstacles during this period, first of all building rules and regulation."
The Russian testing agency has issued a certification for the concrete of Apis Cor, announcing that it can withstand multiple freeze/thaw cycles. But Professor Keating of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wants to know how the safety-conscious construction industry will adopt materials that have not been used for decades to prove its safety. Keating prefers technology that strengthens rather than replaces modern architecture. He said: "Step-by-step is the best way for us to truly change the construction industry. If you suddenly adopt a radical approach, the technical integration of existing construction sites will become more difficult."
MIT's solution is not to use the new materials to build the entire building directly, but to choose a mold suitable for pouring ordinary concrete as proof of concept. This method is perfectly compatible with the construction methods that have been behind for half a century. Keating explained: "If you can enter the construction industry and replace a key step in building a framework, or affect the geometry of the entire building, then you are already using a system that is widely used in the construction industry, and that is how quickly you get real The method of building structure."
The flexibility of the robotic arm also reduces form costs and opens the door to creating taller curved buildings. Keating asked: "If you look at nature, have you seen certain animals or insects have a square shell?" He also pointed out that this demonstration represents only one function of the digital building platform, he said: "I What we want to emphasize is that we don't call it a 3D printer. It's a platform." Just like a human hand, its functions include the use of tools such as excavation, cutting, surface finishing, welding, etc.
Alexander Schreyer, a professor of architectural technology at the University of Massachusetts, also believes that 3D printing can bring huge benefits, but he suspects that this technology may not be a universal solution. He said: "In the construction industry, there is always a need for a mix of technologies. We can't say that only 3D printing technology was used to build the entire house. I think the technology combination is the best solution."
Schreier said that many people are developing prefabricated components that builders can assemble on the construction site. He said: "It's like IKEA furniture assembled on site." Such technologies already exist, but they are not widely used, which means that innovation in the construction industry faces other obstacles besides technology and regulation. He also said: "We all live in houses with roughly the same function and aesthetics. Why do every house have to be built in the same way? The mass production and customization of the automotive industry is enough for everyone's needs. This model has not appeared in The real estate industry is shocking and people may be worried that such houses are not durable."
Ultimately, economic power may force innovation in the construction industry. Although the industry involves a lot of money, it is in the midst of a sharp drop in profits. Any way to make a profit for the company will be adopted, but Schreier believes that no technology has touched this turning point. Regardless of whether future housing needs to be cast, printed or prefabricated, experts believe that change should be gradual. Keating said: "I think the world will be more and more automated, including the construction industry. But I think the speed of automation is much slower than people expected."
In this sense, the construction industry may be as slow and unstoppable as the concrete itself. Neferdav said: "We are all developing along the common law, and all technologies are making progress. And this progress is carried out in a gradual or leap-forward manner, and perhaps only time can prove its right or wrong."
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