4 ms·
Wow this is overly optimistic. There are so many unappreciated subtleties to physical work. Manufacturing changes the work to fit the machine. So much of the w
by ianbicking 4y ago
Wow this is overly optimistic.
There are so many unappreciated subtleties to physical work. Manufacturing changes the work to fit the machine. So much of the work in construction just is not amenable to that.
There's still a ton to be done, of course. But something as simple as installing an outlet during construction requires a level of physical skill that is so far beyond what any robot can do that we have no idea how it would be accomplished. Maybe we could design around these things, create building standards that prioritize mechanical feasibility, designs where every step is laid out so that a robot can perform the next necessary step given everything that's been done before (and probably dozens of dedicated robot types for different functions). But that requires perfect vertical integration from design to each point of construction and verification. It would be hard to apply incrementally.
It seems like the realistic improvements are: design; construction planning, scheduling, timelines; applying instructions to the worksite; managing materials; applying instructions to the materials; verification and measurement. All the information parts, not so much the physical parts. Maybe materials could be cut? But even that seems questionable when so many things are cut to fit.
But I did enjoy hearing the story of Dusty Robotics, which is working on worksite lay out (i.e., the chalking/etc to guide construction): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokkftQVa8M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokkftQVa8M
- tuatoru 4y ago> something as simple as installing an outlet during construction requires a level of physical skill that is so far beyond what any robot can do that we have no idea how it would be accomplished This could be the equivalent of the Turing test for robotics, perhaps. Although I'd extend it to "install a new outlet in any randomly selected existing house, as requested by the occupants and in accordance with local regulations and national electrical standards, without damaging anything. And clean up after yourself."