The article on agricultural robotics piqued my interest. Was robotics making any inroads into home construction? I knew about the experimentation with additive manufacturing techniques in home construction (which don’t actually appear to be making much headway). How about robotics in the home construction industry? This article at PBC Today cast a little light on the subject:
While current robot technology is unlikely to replace people entirely anytime in the near future, there are many tasks in construction that are well suited to automation, which could help fill the gaps in the workforce left by current skills shortages. With demand for more high-quality homes increasing, anything that can bolster construction teams should be considered. It is even possible for a robot to build the walls of a home directly from a CAD model, ensuring speed and precision in construction, and offering a potential solution to the housing crisis.
As well as building homes on-site, robots could also be used to improve off-site manufacturing. Modern methods of construction (MMC) continue to grow in popularity, thanks to their efficiency, and robots could help to increase production further by building parts quickly in nearby micro factories.
Frankly, at least in the U. S. I doubt that the impediment identified in the article (customer acceptance) is as big a factor as zoning restrictions and other government regulations. It does seem to me that there are several areas of home construction that are highly repetitive, e.g. bricklaying and roofing, that could be prime targets. The main impediments to the use of prefabricated housing here have been zoning, regulation, and financing.
Because of labor availability issues in home construction, a certain private equity firm has invested in a company manufacturing automated metal fabrication equipment, particularly suited to the growing demand for metal roofs, and precision metal housings used in home appliances and lawn equipment.
This same private equity firm previously made a very successful investment in an automated truss manufacturer in the early aughts, winning the deal over that asshole from Omaha.
Expect more of this automation trend.
A few months ago a major remodel of a home in my neighborhood involved the installation of a metal roof. To the best of my knowledge it was the first in this neighborhood.
I expect the “labor availability” issue you cite not only to continue but to accelerate. That will be true regardless of immigration because of demographic issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Metal roofs pretty much started in FL as the dominant Tuscan theme turned more to the Caribbean look. A style issue.
Although more expensive, they last 50 years and are not subject to the flutter cracking of tile in hurricanes. They have now become all the rage in FL, GA, low country SC and NC, and are moving from high price point homes to lower price points. Apparently the midwest is catching on as well.