Robots Taking Over Your Job Site?!

It's the thing sci-fi movies are made of, robots going the work humans once did, only 1000 times faster, more efficient, and without the threat of going on strike!  It's already a reality in many industries including automotive, now construction industry experts believe there won't be a need to hire experienced machine operators in the future.

Fortunately for us humans, there are so many construction projects, flesh and blood operators aren't going anywhere anytime soon.  However, with a shortage is competent machine operators, robots are needed to pick up the slack.

A company called Built Robotics, out of San Francisco is doing just that by taking old machines and making them into automated workhorses.

The machines are modified to have technology including self-driving capabilities, Wi-Fi and GPS.  You can check out one of the company's promotion videos below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGhP-LK_o20

The founder of Built Robotics, Noah Ready-Campbell, says these machines are designed to do basic tasks while human operators can do the more difficult machine work.

The first question that comes to mind is how soon could it be until robots can perform all the tasks necessary on a job site?

Most experts agree that won't happen as long as construction sites remain an unpredictable and hazardous environment.  In the meantime however, many construction companies are already employing autonomous machines into their fleets because they simply have no other option.

Ready-Campbell says ,"two-thirds of contractors report that they're having a hard time finding skilled workers.  Ready-Campbell goes on to say at this point it's not even about reducing costs, but simply getting enough machines working to get the jobs done.

Safety is another reason why contractors are using automated equipment as they reduce not only serious injuries involving heavy machines but health issues developed over long periods of time from exposure to vibration and things like exhaust and dust.

When it comes down to it, operating costs are the most compelling reason to use robotic machines as they can replace an entire crew of workers. Instead of a team of 12 people for instance, a company may only need one person to monitor the automated machine.