Japan's Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has designed a prototype robot that can be deployed on construction sites when 'hands are short'. The robot is not fast, but it is extremely accurate. Will this be the new colleague on construction sites?
The prototype is a demonstration model that goes by the name HRP-5P. It can neatly pick up a plasterboard and screw it to a wall. The robot is very flexible, allowing it to take over human movements and activities even in complex construction environments.
For decades, modern mass production has been changing as a result of industrial automation. While assembly lines in factory environments are increasingly filled with robots, humans are still often still needed for certain specific tasks. For example, you see far fewer robots in industrial aircraft manufacturing than in the automotive industry. People are still needed there to still do assembly work in less accessible places.
Even on construction sites, this means the robot is not yet welcomed with open arms. Human labour deployment remains necessary to build homes on site. Robots for automated bricklaying and large robotic 3D printers may be on the rise but 'hands' are still needed to make it into a finished whole. The Japanese research does not focus so much on minimising labour but rather as a possible solution to a recognisable problem: falling birth rates and an ageing workforce. This will leave numerous technical sectors, including construction, short of people in the future. This robot technology could be an answer to part of this problem.
HRP-5P is certainly not the most advanced robot. On the other hand, it is not averse to heavy work and can make movements that have many 'human traits', which could entrust rudimentary construction work to this robot.
See how HRP-5P does its job? The video below gives a nice impression.
