For now, the Victor, New York-based company recognizes that human workers have unique expertise and problem-solving skills to offer, and that to increase productivity on jobsites, robots should first be used to augment those capabilities.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
How construction robots can amplify workers' expertise
For now, the Victor, New York-based company recognizes that human workers have unique expertise and problem-solving skills to offer, and that to increase productivity on jobsites, robots should first be used to augment those capabilities.
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6 comments:
This is interesting (don’t get me started on my ideas about automation and macro-economics), and I would love to see a piece on how automation applies to theatrical construction. I would be surprised if nobody has tried to automate tasks like flat construction and platform building, at least for rectangular units: they are common enough. Maybe the cost/benefit analysis does not quite work out yet, but I can’t imagine it will be much longer. I would be surprised if, twenty years down the road, not only most shop construction tasks but also other tasks around the theatre are not automated. Already some more advanced sound consoles have primitive “auto mixing” features, and tracking movers are starting to replace spot ops in some cases. I hate to say it, but QLab can already do most, if not all of a light board op’s job if correctly integrated with the other theatrical systems. It seems like whole crews might be automated soon, and only the creative team and the cast will remain. I wonder how long after that before we are competing for creative positions. For now, these features serve to increase productivity, precision, and allow for more complex systems and effects, but eventually they will be able to perform whole jobs.
To be perfectly honest, I do not think that automation should be standardized to complete tasks in place of humans. If robots replace the human workforce, not only will it severely hurt thousands of people's economic standings, but it will also remove a human element of creativity that is naturally part of a number of industries. While the article says this robot is designed to work “alongside” other people who can check its quality of work, it is easy to see that human contribution will soon be made obsolete with the progression of technology. If we are to integrate this kind of automation into construction, I feel it should instead be used to complete tasks that are far too dangerous for humans. I see the benefit of taking literal weight off of workers using robotics, so perhaps workers could use smaller personal use automation units to assist with work, rather than using large scale machines to do it for them. There are certainly positive and negative outcomes of enabling the expansion of robotics into hands-on industries, but I believe they must be closely examined and analyzed before we completely overrule an entire sector of employment.
I would definitely like to see some of this technology in scene shops. Besides the facts cited, that the Mule in particular increases productivity, safety, and career longevity, all these machines have enormous potential as adaptive technology. There are some shop processes that seem like insurmountable accessibility obstacles; pretty much anything involving sheet goods would be very challenging to make accessible to wheelchair users. The Mule doesn’t automate anything--it just helps lift and maneuver materials, completely under the direction of the human operator. It would not be like turning a scene shop into a factory, automating movement and materials processing. The tough part is figuring out how to integrate these sorts of technologies without reducing the shop’s functionality. If we were to install a Mule on a gantry, for example, it could potentially restrict the usage of vertical shop space. I think it would require dedicated, separate spaces for processing/fabrication and assembly, and possibly a separate gantry and machine for each space.
I think this is a really good way of looking at robots for construction and similar industries. It isn’t a matter of replacing people with robots, it is a matter of robots as another tool to help people do their jobs more efficiently, easily, and safely. To be fair, these robots still will replace people because if you have more efficient workers you will need fewer workers to complete the same job, but that displaces workers in the same way it displaces workers to use nail guns rather than hammers. I think it will be awhile until robots start getting used in the theater industry. We don’t do the same thing repeated enough times for a task specific robot to make sense, but I think things similar to the MULE would definitely be useful and likely will make their way into the industry as soon as the price point gets low enough.
I think this article brings up some very well thought out ideas about the relationship between machines and humans. I think the statement at the beginning of the article about how humans have the ability to adjust to a challenge in real time is something that machines can't do is absolutely right. So, the idea that machines should be there to enhance the qualities of the human is the kind of thinking that can get us started in the most helpful direction. I don't think I ever want to see a world in which construction is completely reliant on robots because i think there is a human sense that must inspect the work for actual quality. It is cool to hear how they have been able to make a machine that enhances the skills of a human while still leaving the action completely under the control of the human themselves. Overall, an insightful article with real life proof of beliefs.
I like the idea of a robot assistant. Products like the MULE have been around for decades, and the advancements in technology and software have only made these machines more accessible for all industries. I often feel that these articles are focused on how robotics will replace the need for human laborers, but this article focuses on how both can work in tandem to create a more efficient process.
On a different note, I wonder how this technology will affect the entertainment industry and more specifically touring concerts. Tours and the like are more or less a rinse and repeat that has virtually the same load-in/out process. There is a lot of opportunity for a robotic assist in this industry only because of the money saving that would come of it. The initial investment would be a hefty sum, but the payoff for both the crew and the production company would be significant.
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