Technology
Technology
With initiatives
like ‘Make in India’
and ‘Digital India’,
India can leapfrog
towards advanced
robotics and
compete with
world’s best.
With the Indian government’s target of
investing about $377 billion in infrastruc-
ture by 2019, the usage of robotics in
construction is expected to witness a high
growth in this period.
with a combination of interconnectiv-
ity of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of
Things) and other intelligent tools like
mobile analytics and machines that are
equipped with smart technologies. These
include solutions such as hyperspectral
and multispectral imaging, 3D-embedded
visioning and deep learning. Hence, there
is greater flexibility in the application of
robotics and its use.
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Real time updates
The usage of Augmented Reality (AR) and
Virtual Reality (VR) is enabling customers
and project managers to view real time
progress of their projects from the comfort
of their office or homes. The most popular
augmented reality wearable in construction
is the Microsoft HoloLens Users can use
computer-generated models both on the
site and in the office to see what the final
product will look like, proving the value
of AR inconstruction. By using AR both
the architects and construction firms can
truly showcase functional models to their
clients. Clients can make decisions based on
the current plan and make changes before
construction starts.
The strong Indian story
India is poised for growth as well.
With initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and
‘Digital India’, India can leapfrog towards
advanced robotics and compete with
world’s best. In 2015, Make in India
invested over $13 billion in robotics and
India is expected to undergo a massive
revamp in terms of investment, infra-
structure, and technology.
Globally, the use of robots is growing
at the rate of 6.73% per annum, while the
growth in India has been around 12%.
Research estimates that India could be-
come a $25.8 billion market for emerging
technologies by 2020.
While adoption of technology in some
sectors like automobile, manufacturing
etc. has been rapid, construction has
lagged behind. Emerging economies such
as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South
Korea, and Russia are likely to account
for more than half of all global growth.
It is estimated that, by 2020, emerging
economies will account for 55% of global
construction compared to 46% in 2010.
In these emerging economies, expand-
ing populations and growing economic
activity are driving higher growth in
construction.
The Indian construction industry
valued at $126 billion and employing
around 40 million people, accounts for
approximately 8% of the country’s GDP.
The future
The day is not far when robots working
on project sites will become a common
occurrence. Drones, which are already
in use to an extent, will constantly scan
sites to collect data, predict and solve
problems before they arise. Humans will
be able to remotely oversee multiple proj-
ects at once. The industry will become
increasingly focused on innovation.
Construction will become faster, using 3D
and 4D printing, and self-transforming
objects which self-assemble.
With the tremendous progress that this
field has demonstrated in the past couple
of years, it will not be wrong to assume
that the future ofconstruction industry is
going to be dominated by robotics.
We are closer to witnessing technology
becoming an everyday affair earlier than
imagined.
(The writer is national director,
Industrial Life Sciences Sector Project
& Development Services, India)
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