Blog Post 1 - Carlos Hillinger

3D Printing & The Future: 5 Ways 3D Printing is Changing the Construction Industry

By Rachel Burger

https://www.thebalance.com/3d-printing-construction-industry-845342

October 23^rd, 2017

This article begins by giving an introduction on how 3D printing is changing the way humans make things, such as shoes, cars and clothes. It then adds that 3D printing will also change the way we build, making the construction process less wasteful. Then, the core of the article addresses the 5 main advantages that 3D printing will bring to construction. After reading through them and understanding them, I believe that the three main advantages that 3D printing will bring to construction are: reduced costs, global development, and greener construction. The other two advantages claimed by the article are: improved project planning and clarity in client expectations. Out of all the advantages, I think that global development is the most important one, because 3D printing  in construction will allow undeveloped countries and cities to build low cost and durable houses and shelter for many people that do not have access to materials or labor needed to build a well designed house.

AI & Robotics: AI and Robotics: The Future of Construction

http://www.conexpoconagg.com/news/october-2016/ai-and-robotics-the-future-of-construction/

October 5^th, 2016

This article begins by explaining that robotics are not a subset of artificial intelligence, it states that even though robots can use AI, it is not a necessity. AI can be used for quality control testing of products, to optimize development and even for forecasting and scheduling. AI is knowledge, and if incorporated with all the human knowledge for construction, it can be use to improve BIM designs; for example, identifying true collisions versus false ones, like waterproofing for specs for sports stadiums. AI would be proactive, it could ask questions to learn, and even interact with voice and visuals. They state that a possible setback is the impossibility of AI to be implemented on small scale projects due to lack of data, but it could certainly be used for large scale projects like government ones. Other advantages addressed by the article for using AI are: fewer errors and omissions, improved workflows, safer jobsites, and less time ‘wasted’.

Robots on the other hand have been utilized a lot for the construction process. Some of the most common robotics are robots that help shape rebars, robots that manufacture plumbing fixtures and robots that help transport construction materials. More complex and recent robotic inventions can include robots that 3D print cement houses and robots that can build a wall placing bricks and mortar. In summary, robots are everywhere in the construction process, they are basically every automated machine that helps improve the process. However, robots will start shaping the future whenever we are able to incorporate Artificial Intelligence with machines that can ‘think’ using knowledge as the input and solve problems more accurately and in less time than human experts. 

Comments:

Jordan S.,

 I enjoyed reading through your post, it is clear to me that we can learn something new out of every post. From your post I learnt that 3D printing is being used to print in braille. I liked that you did not focused 3D printing only in construction, it was sort of refreshing to read, and you make a good point on that 3D printing is all about what it can make. I believe that the main problem with 3D printing is the initial cost of the machines, but it will certainly be improved in the following years.

Luciana T.,

I think you have a very good understanding of AI and 3D printing. Imagine if we were able to use those the technology in those robots you mentioned Alibaba used that can even think faster than the most intellectual human beings, and apply that technology to robots in the construction industry. As it can obviously bring many advantages like reducing costs, improve accuracy and greener constructions, would not it also leave a lot of workers unemployed? It is a question that only the future can answer, but it is worth thinking about it.

Zach A.,

I think that your post is very broad and complete, you certainly managed to cover all the topics and explain them very neatly. I would like to emphasize on your comments about the future, especially when you address that with all these newly developed technologies, many windows for malicious activity open. All this new database systems, robots that function with AI can be hacked, and I believe it is the responsibility of the same people that are creating this technologies to make sure they are un-hackable, and even if they are, to prepare for the worst-case scenario with a backup plan in all of their robots.