Today, construction projects are requiring schedule compression, cost reduction, quality improvement. In particular, because of the recent downturn in the construction industry, these requests are further increased. Building automation is getting a lot of attention with using BIM technology as an alternative to improve the construction process. Especially in Korea, such as high wages, an graying, lack of workforce, Need for the automation in construction is more necessary.
A construction robot, important part of automation construction, will be discussed in this special feature. The robot are also carrying out repetitive, sophisticated and dangerous works for human This robot technology was reached from context-aware and human-like walking robot to Mars exploration work in extreme conditions.
However, the use of robots in the construction industry is low because the industry is due to the work conditions. In spite of having many limited use of robot for construction, the development of robots has been making steady progress. The researches of domestic and foreign about robot construction will be discussed in this special feature.
Construction robots build up Masonry walls, produce pc or steel panels and cut out timbers as robot for production material, carry out concrete finishing, automatic welding and bolting as robot as robot for single process, and have been developed until a automated construction system like a huge factory. However, these some cases are also success stories, but a large majority of cases, such as automatic construction system failed because of frequent errors, installation cost, the difficulty of maintaining. This causes is due to the working environment which is different from other common manufacturing production lines.
In Korea, the large-scale research projects supported by government had been carried out from the mid-2000s due to the industrial value of construction robot. Robot researches in Korea were supported by effectively operation technologies for robot such as RFID, USN, BIM, GPS as well as the robot itself technologies.
National projects related to robot construction described above is currently in progress or end state. there is Now a need to look back on the sustainable usage of construction robot. If robotic technologies achieved by the industry-university collaboration don"t die out and continue to be researched, It will be the future of construction as alternative which able to improve the working environment, cut the cost and reduce the term of works.