A team of robots fulfills an order in 1 hour

PBC Today | August 24, 2020

Good morning, UK – welcome to dystopia! Yeah, well, we’re finally here: every dictator’s dream scenario where total control of the populace is within easy reach and, of course, to quote Kenny Everett, “it’s all in the best possible taste” and totally for your own safety health and comfort. Whoa there! You’re thinking, where’s this come from? So let’s backtrack a little. Last time round, we considered some post-Covid thoughts. Three months on and we’re still not really post-Covid, are we? The world’s largest economy is still struggling to get the virus under control, has the highest total of deaths and the president seems to wear this as a badge of honour. There is a subtext among many here, such as keep the economy open and if people get ill or die, that’s the price we pay. Or rather, they pay. Of course, we’re all in this together. Meanwhile in the UK, our leadership have now gone on holiday.

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ENGINEERING TECH

GeoSLAM | July 07, 2021

GeoSLAM, a leading SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology company, has developed a solution for quickly and easily tracking the progress of a construction project. After almost a decade of close collaboration with the construction sector, GeoSLAM has developed Construction Progress to simplify project monitoring using generated point cloud data. By speeding up an essentially manual process, the solution will assist construction companies in evaluating their progress. Using an easy-to-use portable scanner, information collection and progress results (expressed as a % complete, with colored digital pictures displaying the most recent project updates) are accessible in minutes both on-site and at head office. The collected data is automatically analyzed, resulting in a point cloud compared to a CAD model, showing simple changes on-site by date and time.The ability to monitor a project’s development provides site teams and head office with a clear and objective view of progress, assisting in preventing missed milestones in the construction or costly delays. Graham Hunter, CEO of GeoSLAM, described the software’s launch: “We’ve always emphasized the significance of technology in any company, but now, more than ever, automated tools like Construction Progress are critical to the long-term sustainability of construction companies in particular. This is a totally new concept in the business. “The sector’s future seems bright, but it requires the right tools to meet it head-on. I am convinced that Construction Progress will assist in easing some of the difficulties that construction companies may face in the coming months.” With the world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the need for faster construction and environmentally friendly building methods has never been greater.GeoSLAM has introduced its payment plan to reduce the initial cost of ownership by enabling clients to spread the cost of a Connect and Construction Progress device over 24 months.

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CONSTRUCTION

ABB Robotics | May 24, 2021

ABB Robotics is driving automation within the housing industry with new robotic automation solutions to deal with key challenges, including the necessity for cheaper and environmentally friendly housing and to scale back the environmental impact of construction, amidst a labor and skills shortage. Robotic automation offers huge potential to reinforce productivity, efficiency and manufacturing flexibility throughout the development industry, including automating the fabrication of modular homes and building components off-site, robotic welding and material handling on building sites and robot 3D printing of homes and customised structures also as making the industry safer and more cost effective, robots are improving sustainability and reducing environmental impact by enhancing quality and cutting waste. 81 percent of construction businesses said they're going to introduce or increase the utilization of robotics and automation within the next decade, while today only a couple of companies enjoy robotics. within the survey, only 55 percent of construction companies say they use robots, compared with 84 percent in Automotive and 79 percent in Manufacturing. Industry forecasts for the entire value of the worldwide housing industry predict it'll rise by 85 percent to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 20302, while ABB Robotics' internal analysis of the market potential for robotic automation over subsequent 10 years is for top integer rate of growth in key sectors of construction including pre-fabrication and 3D printing. Robots enabling a replacement approach with the industry facing increased environmental regulation and therefore the need for less expensive buildings, robotic automation reduces waste by improving quality and consistency, which is critical when it's estimated that up to 1 / 4 of fabric transported to a vacant lot leaves as waste3. With automation and digital solutions, builders also can design waste out at the start of a project through effective building design and construction processes.

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