Technology

The robots are coming, part 94

Robotic bricklayer SAM

Robots Lay Three Times as Many Bricks as Construction Workers

Construction workers on some sites are getting new, non-union help. SAM – short for semi-automated mason – is a robotic bricklayer being used to increase productivity as it works with human masons.

In this human-robot team, the robot is responsible for the more rote tasks: picking up bricks, applying mortar, and placing them in their designated location. A human handles the more nuanced activities, like setting up the worksite, laying bricks in tricky areas, such as corners, and handling aesthetic details, like cleaning up excess mortar. [MIT Technology Review]

Another good illustration of the more general point made in this great video (but remember of course if you’re a Lib Dem talking about transport policy in London, the form is to talk as if technology isn’t moving on at an extremely rapid rate):

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