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E L E C T R I C A L CO N N E C T I O N
A U T UMN 2 0 17
TECH
I
n an attempt to look forward,
Construction Skills Queensland
(CSQ) and the CSIRO recently
developed the report,
Farsight for
Construction: exploratory scenarios
for Queensland’s construction industry
to 2036
. And while it’s impossible
to tell the future, thorough analysis
of industry trends and emergent
technologies has allowed CSQ and the
CSIRO to put forward four possible
scenarios of what the industry will look
like in about 20 years time.
1.
The Digital Evolution
: Robot labour
technologies have not progressed
as quickly as expected. Little
has changed in the industry but
most major projects are using
BIM software, which provides 3D
modelling and an all-encompassing
system for managing every stage of
the construction lifecycle. Tradies
are still working in hands-on roles,
but using exosuits to enhance their
strength and agility. A range of
wearables are also being used
which offer biometric measurements
such as heart rate and perspiration
levels while monitoring the
wearer’s location to alert them to
dangerous situations.
2.
Smart Collaboration
:
The promise
of smart robots has not been
fulfilled but Australia is embracing
prefabrication with large numbers
of modular houses and buildings
being built in factory facilities. The
industry is harnessing new tools
to make the construction process
safer, more productive and less
labour intensive. Drones are being
used to undertake surveying work
and autonomous vehicles are
common on building sites.
3.
Globally Challenged
: This scenario
sees the Australian workforce
under pressure from advanced
manufacturing and robotics facilities
in Asia. The majority of construction
work is being outsourced to more
innovative and
low cost producers, reducing
the domestic workforce by 90%.
Australia has failed to develop and
use smart robots which are capable
of undertaking a wide range of
manual tasks such as bricklaying.
4.
Rise of the Robots
: Australia has
emerged as a global construction
innovation hub. The country is the
go-to place for testing and refining
exosuits and intelligent robots.
Advanced prefabrication facilities
are attracting massive foreign
investment and creating high tech
new jobs. Tradies are now working
as ‘building assembly technicians’
and overseeing robotic systems.
They are aided by virtual reality and
3D laser mapping devices which
allow them to walk around and
inspect augmented construction
models in a real world environment.
We can’t know for sure which, if any,
of these scenarios will come into being.
But one thing is certain – the industry
will be very different from what we
see today.
Sweeping change doesn’t happen
overnight however. It happens
incrementally, one innovation at a
time. And, most of the time, these
innovations make our lives easier and/
or safer.
With this in mind,
Across the Trades
has put together a collection of new,
innovative products that we reckon will
change things for the better.
INDUSTRY’S INNOVATIONS
The construction industry
has always been a hotbed of
innovation. In centuries past,
inventions like reinforced
concrete and electric welding
redefined the limits of what
we could build with steel and
concrete, while more recent
advances in battery technology
allow us to complete power-
hungry tasks with grinders
and reciprocating saws
chord-free.