At a housing construction site in Gananoque, Ontario, a robot named Val has been diligently laying concrete for nearly two months, contributing to the development of 26 stacked townhouse units by Horizon Legacy, scheduled to open this fall. Val’s capabilities are impressive: she can lift over 440 pounds and perform tasks equivalent to those of approximately 20 tradespeople.
Operated by a team of three to five technicians and programmers, Val handles the heavy lifting and repetitive tasks that are often less desirable in construction. Horizon Legacy’s CEO, Nhung Nguyen, acknowledges that while Val isn’t perfect, there’s potential for her to double her speed and take on additional tasks in the future. This innovative approach aims to address Canada’s housing and labor shortages by assembling homes more efficiently.
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association estimates that 22% of residential construction workers are set to retire over the next decade. Additionally, an RBC report from the previous year projected that Canada would need over 500,000 additional construction workers by 2030 to improve housing affordability. In response, companies like Horizon Legacy are turning to robotics and automation to bridge the labor gap and expedite homebuilding processes.
In Sudbury, Ontario, researcher Steven Beites and his team at Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture are developing a prototype homebuilder robot capable of autonomously positioning wall panels using machine vision. Such innovations aim to streamline construction and attract a younger, tech-savvy workforce to the industry.
Nguyen envisions robots like Val as tools that enhance construction site efficiency and appeal to prospective workers who might be deterred by monotonous tasks. She believes that embracing robotics is the future of construction, offering a scalable solution to Canada’s housing crisis and labor shortages.
Source: Swifteradio.com
