Describe your project
-
Why it was chosen, relation to Intelligent Buildings, & Challenges
The project that I will be working on is with my group partner, Rachel Frank, and we will be writing a paper. The title of this paper is: Emerging Technologies in the Robotic Assembly and Construction of Buildings.
I think what we really want to focus on is three-fold, firstly, what technologies have been used in recent history that are robotics-oriented (~1980's to Present), secondly, what are the types of projects that people are working on currently and implementing, and finally, what is the feasible direction that these robotic technologies will go in our immediate future of 5-10 years. Through these items, we wish to discover the groups that are developing these systems, what they are used for, and how they work. In addition, we will make a distinction between robotics in the actual construction of structural components and robotics inside the home for interior design purposes (easy layout and configurations like movable walls).
Why it was chosen:
This topic was chosen because we had a hard time believing it had potential. Once we were exposed to it through this class, it got us wondering if this was actually something that could be used widespread. Doing more research on the blog posts, I found something that mentioned how we could use robots to "mass-assemble" small shelters that may be temporary for emergency situations and I really appreciated that. We want to look deeper on things that are relevant and almost coming out in today's world - not things in the far future. The reason for this is because we want to see what the change will be in our immediate careers because the far future feels like empty dreaming.
Relation to Intelligent Buildings:
The relation to intelligent buildings is more clear with the interior components - when there are robotics integrated inside the building, things like partition walls can be customized and the building becomes intelligent - if there is an interface where you can choose your room purpose. Maybe there is robotics that can say, I want to have X people over in this room and it sets the chairs and tables and walls for you! In terms of the actual robotic construction, an intelligent building is wholesome and if there are robots that can build these buildings by themselves, I would consider that intelligent. The less human input in the process, the more intelligent the building gets.
Challenges:
I think the biggest challenge with our research paper will be to clearly define what the topic is based on the information that we find. I am not even sure what is out there so based on the peer-reviewed sources we find, the paper will take shape. I also think a challenge will be to write concisely, not get off-topic, and stay reasonably near the word count - I do not want to provide Professor Mitchell with something that is way too long! I think there is a discrepancy between what technology we think is out there and what is actually in practice and exists.
Comments on other Posts:
Brandon Mengel: I did not even realize that we could attempt to create a Revit family as a project. Reading your plan of action and potential challenges, I think I am actually happier that I chose to go with the paper. We have been using Revit so much in all our classes lately that I don't think I could handle doing another project because exactly the way you said it - it can suck up all your time without you even noticing. I think that your skills are much more honed than mine and I hope that YouTube can help you when working with the different materials. I am not sure but I think that you would have to have a counter-top family and a cabinet family and a lighting family and then finally there be a family that places the components together. I wish you the best of luck and I really think you can complete this project successfully - just don't get too bogged down on all the intricate details!
Joseph Chaudhari: Your topic is super super cool to me! I was exposed to a lot of site surveying technology from companies during co-op and I thought the way the 3D point clouds were made and all the scanning involved for the terrain was amazing. The technology in my head is so far advanced but that just goes to show how much further it can go. Definitely on the leading edge of what technology we use in the "building" world. If this technology comes in to fruition in our lifetimes - which I suspect of all the technologies, this one will - the efficiency and accuracy in which buildings can be modeled will increase. Although the AI may decrease overall jobs - I think it will just make a shift towards what kind of jobs there will be.
Maissoun Ksara & Drew Hovey: I have a feeling your paper will be both fun to write and informational. You will learn many things in the process of the research but I also think that there is a hint of opinion in there that will make this a great paper in the end. I agree with your general statement that intelligent buildings does not suggest green buildings. But, I think they could be subsets of each other - intelligent buildings can lend themselves to be green - for example monitoring the sun, controlling shades or insulation or window tint to reduce HVAC loads - but things like using recycled materials to make a building sustainable does not necessarily mean it has become intelligent. Interesting items to discuss... discussing the future of these two items and how they relate will be a challenge. I hope the future is extraordinary, intelligent, & green!
Brandon Mengel: I did not even realize that we could attempt to create a Revit family as a project. Reading your plan of action and potential challenges, I think I am actually happier that I chose to go with the paper. We have been using Revit so much in all our classes lately that I don't think I could handle doing another project because exactly the way you said it - it can suck up all your time without you even noticing. I think that your skills are much more honed than mine and I hope that YouTube can help you when working with the different materials. I am not sure but I think that you would have to have a counter-top family and a cabinet family and a lighting family and then finally there be a family that places the components together. I wish you the best of luck and I really think you can complete this project successfully - just don't get too bogged down on all the intricate details!
Joseph Chaudhari: Your topic is super super cool to me! I was exposed to a lot of site surveying technology from companies during co-op and I thought the way the 3D point clouds were made and all the scanning involved for the terrain was amazing. The technology in my head is so far advanced but that just goes to show how much further it can go. Definitely on the leading edge of what technology we use in the "building" world. If this technology comes in to fruition in our lifetimes - which I suspect of all the technologies, this one will - the efficiency and accuracy in which buildings can be modeled will increase. Although the AI may decrease overall jobs - I think it will just make a shift towards what kind of jobs there will be.
Maissoun Ksara & Drew Hovey: I have a feeling your paper will be both fun to write and informational. You will learn many things in the process of the research but I also think that there is a hint of opinion in there that will make this a great paper in the end. I agree with your general statement that intelligent buildings does not suggest green buildings. But, I think they could be subsets of each other - intelligent buildings can lend themselves to be green - for example monitoring the sun, controlling shades or insulation or window tint to reduce HVAC loads - but things like using recycled materials to make a building sustainable does not necessarily mean it has become intelligent. Interesting items to discuss... discussing the future of these two items and how they relate will be a challenge. I hope the future is extraordinary, intelligent, & green!
I appreciate you choosing a pragmatic topic. I think writing about the near future will prove to be much more insightful than simply guessing about the future of intelligent buildings through what little we know now. Your description of interior components sounded a lot like smarthouses! I have read a little bit about smarthouses and what seems the be the hot topic right now is connecting all the technology in your house so it can function together and adapt to your habits. An example of this is having your coffee machine start after you have turned on your shower. While this might seem insignificant on it's own, when many of these related activities are grouped together, they can end up saving the user a lot of time! This could be something to discuss in your paper.
ReplyDeleteMaria, I think your and Rachel's approach to this topic is solid. I think that segmenting the topic in to robotics in construction vs robotics in homes (or in operation) is the way to go since the applications are very different. I too had trouble believing that robots would be able to take over many tasks is the construction industry, and still remain somewhat skeptical. I am eager for your paper to potentially convince me otherwise!
ReplyDelete