As technology continues to advance and penetrate the construction industry, robots and drones may be more common sights on jobsites. Artificial intelligence, coupled with the ongoing skilled labor shortage, may cause construction companies to turn to options other than traditional labor, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The newspaper reports that job titles such as robotics technician and virtual construction supervisor are now listed on recruiting sites.
The construction field is one of the least-digitized industries, according to a report by McKinsey Global Institute. Tucson, Ariz.-based Sundt Construction Inc. has 15 drones working in fleets across Arizona, Texas and California that are tasked with capturing photo documentation and mapping data.
For example, when building on top of a closed landfill, the drone can calculate how much material is being moved at any given moment, giving the client exact information on progress.
Before, someone would be counting the number of trucks coming in and out of the area to estimate progress, not knowing how full each truck might be, explained Eric Cylwik, senior virtual construction engineer for Sundt.
“With the ability to fly these drones we can measure the exact volume of how much material has been moved,” he said. “Then we can compare that surface to the week prior to show the client the progress that’s been made.”
While the drones aren’t currently displacing existing jobs, advancements in their capability could change that.
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