The construction industry will increasingly rely on robots in the future
Construction companies want to use significantly more robots in the coming years. The reasons for this are a shortage of skilled workers, safety and environmental protection. This is the result of a global survey by ABB of 1,900 companies in the industry.
In the next ten years, 81 percent of construction companies want to introduce robotics and automation or intensify their use. This is the result of a survey by the technology group ABB among 1,900 companies in Europe, China and the USA. According to a press release, only 55 percent of the companies surveyed are currently using robots – compared to 84 percent in the automotive industry and 79 percent in the manufacturing sector.
The reasons for the intention to automate are to be found in the increasing shortage of skilled workers worldwide. An equally strong argument is the improvement of health protection and safety on the construction site. Environmental protection is also one of the main drivers for changes in the industry.
"The new awareness of health, safety and sustainability is massively accelerating investment in robotics," said Sami Atiya, head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation division . "At the same time, the decreasing supply of skilled workers means that the construction industry increasingly needs robots to keep up with the challenges of urbanization and climate change." Internal analyzes by ABB Robotics on the market potential of robot-assisted automation in the next ten years assume high double-digit growth rates the end. This applies above all to the key areas of construction, including precast construction and 3D printing.
ABB works with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich , among others, to develop new automation solutions. At the Institute for Technology in Architecture located there , ABB contributed to setting up the world's first laboratory for collaborative, robot-assisted digital manufacturing in architecture. The latest technology for large-scale 3D printing in the construction industry can currently be seen at the Architecture Biennale in Venice. It is part of an installation by the Austrian architecture firm MAEID.