Here\u2019s a selection of recent articles on robots and drones coming to the construction site.<\/p>\n
Watch this on The Scene<\/p>\n
\u201cEkso\u00a0started out trying to build Iron Man suits for the military, then spread into the world of physical therapy, with powered walking suits that help people learn to walk again after strokes or accidents. Over 4,000 people have used those. Now Ekso is trying to break into a new market: construction. The Ekso Works Industrial Exoskeleton is an unpowered frame that lets a person heft heavy powertools as if they weighed nothing at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read the story: Wired<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOn Monday, a\u00a0Pennsylvania company demonstrated a new driverless crash truck that it hopes will improve safety at work zones around the country. Two of the vehicles will make their debut at highway construction sites in Florida by the end of the year under a state Department of Transportation pilot program.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the story: Global News<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cResearchers and established manufacturers are working to develop autonomous deconstruction robots that are able to scan, plan and sustainably erase a building without significant human intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Semi-Automated Masonry (SAM) system from Construction Robotics is a bricklaying robot designed to work alongside a mason. As SAM lifts and places the bricks, the mason focuses on site setup, tooling joints and finishing\/quality control. SAM can lay roughly 230 bricks an hour and can handle brick sizes from modular to utility.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the story: Inside Unmanned Systems<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cResearchers at Harvard University and SUNY at Buffalo are designing robots to function outside of ideal, predictable environments such as warehouses or factories and instead work in places where there may be unexpected obstructions, and where predictive algorithms can\u2019t be used to plan several thousand steps ahead. The goal for such \u201cbuilder bots,\u201d which are designed to handle inconsistent and malleable building materials, is to be deployed as disaster relief agents.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the story:\u00a0MIT Technology Review<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLast month, Sony Mobile announced<\/a> a joint drone venture with Japanese robotics company ZMP. The first images and videos of the Aerosense quadcopter, fitted with Sony\u2019s QX30<\/a> lens\/camera module, and VTOL UAV prototypes have been released.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPotential use scenarios could include getting a bird\u2019s eye view of possible build sites and subsequent remote checking on construction progress, keeping track of migrating wildlife in hard to reach areas, and checking mountainous areas for storm damage.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the story:\u00a0Gizmag<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Adw9Co5hW_g<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cInstead of speculating on how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) \u2014 or drones \u2014 will transform the economy, California\u2019s DroneBase is enlisting construction contractors as early adopters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDroneBase was officially launched in 2014 as a platform to unite regional drone operators under a single order system and to provide clients in the construction, real estate and mining sectors with service packages at standard prices. An order of high-resolution images and video at a single location is priced from US$399. A high-resolution geo-referenced survey and mapping package for fewer than 25 acres starts at US$499.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the story: Daily Commercial News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"driverless\"](\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/driverless-640x410.jpg\")
AP Photo\/Michael Rubinkam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Tiling\"](\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Tiling-640x394.jpg\")
Robotic tilling machine recently prototyped at public housing project in Singapore.Photo courtesy of Future Cities Laboratory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"robot-sacks\"](\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/robot-sacks.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"aerosense-quadcopter\"](\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aerosense-quadcopter-640x426.jpg\")
The prototype Aerosense AS-MC01-P quadcopter carries a Sony lens camera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n