There is a housing shortage in Canada, and a robot with artificial intelligence could help builders catch up.
That's the goal of an industry group led by CEO and co-founder Ramtin Attar and Promise Robotics, the CBC reported. Attar said his company and others' innovations can spur "a massive productivity increase," cutting through a labor shortage, high costs, and regulation slowdowns to meet the demand for 3.9 million new homes by 2031.
Promise Robotics' machines can slice construction timelines in half by reading blueprints and figuring out where to go from there. They make cuts, hammer nails, and drill holes for wiring and plumbing, the broadcaster reported.
The company uses its own AI to teach robots how to construct walls, floors, and roofs. The components can be assembled in a small warehouse and sent to a job site, where it takes a day for workers to put together the frame of a home. The company can build a house in five months instead of the usual 10, according to the CBC.
It's also not bound by the constraints of larger factory installations that create prefabricated homes. Because the AI is a "foundational brain," Attar said, the robotic arms are versatile, determining the fastest way to put together the pieces for houses or multifamily residences.
Canadian Home Builders' Association CEO Kevin Lee told the CBC that if the robots are cost-effective, they "start to become very interesting." Promise Robotics has one builder client in Edmonton, Alberta, and more have kicked the tires.
Another construction company, Horizon Legacy, is doing similar work — but on location. Its robotic arm, Val 2.0, prints "a special concrete mix" that is able to better insulate homes, per the CBC. The apparatus also requires only half the laborers, with five people on a crew. One person controls the robot, which stands on a trailer, via a joystick.
Reducing the hard and dirty work necessary to build the foundation of a home could open new doors and attract a different kind of job seeker. Both companies said there will remain a need for human workers, including those who can fill positions that manage the robots.
"We want to bring young people back into construction," Horizon Legacy CEO Nhung Nguyen told the CBC. "We want to elevate the standards in construction, and we're going to use technology as a tool to do that."
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Definitely 🙁 Val 2.0 has already helped fabricate the walls for a 26-unit townhome project. It will not only increase the housing supply in Gananoque, Ontario, but also provide access to affordable living.
Moreover, the University of British Columbia Smart Structures Lab is developing AI-based forklifts, cranes, excavators, and loaders by employing wireless sensors and remote-free controls, according to the CBC. The technology could be ready in 10 years.
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