Humanoid construction robot installs drywall by itself
Humanoid construction robot installs drywall by itself
It's clever, if also a commentary on Japan's labor
priorities.
By Jon Fingas, October 1, 2018
If Japan's Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Institute has its way, construction workers might be a thing of the past.
Researchers have built HRP-5P, a humanoid bot that can handle a variety of
construction tasks when there's either a staffing shortage or serious hazards.
The prototype uses a mix of environment detection, object recognition and
careful movement planning to install drywall by itself -- it can hoist up
boards and fasten them with a screwdriver.
The design doesn't have as much freedom of movement as a
human being, but makes up for that with numerous joints that flex to degrees
you wouldn't see in real people. It won't always look the most natural when
doing its job, but it'll be effective. It can also correct for slips, and it's
not deterred when it has a limited field of view.
AIST's robot is methodical, but you can't call it quick
given its tendency to take baby steps and otherwise act cautiously. The
potential is huge, however. In addition to typical building construction work,
robots like this could also help assemble aircraft and ships. The team is
aiming for collaboration with private companies that would treat HRP-5P as a
development "platform" that could lead to further breakthroughs.
However, the machine also fits into a familiar pattern
for Japan: its determination to address population shortfalls through
technology instead of immigration. AIST is quick to declare that robots like
HRP-5P are meant to tackle the "manual shortages" expected to stem
from Japan's aging residents and shrinking birth rate. This would free the
shrinking number of human workers to focus on lighter and less dangerous work,
according to AIST. It could be useful far beyond Japan, but it's meant to
address a far deeper issue that robots can't fix.
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