Our industry, like most others, is experiencing an influx of innovation and transformation. It’s exciting, because there are many opportunities to expedite and automate tasks by implementing new technology tools. My team and I are continually evaluating the latest technology to determine what might be useful for our clients or for Aptitude. As Director of Technology and Innovation, it’s my job to carefully discern which new tech tools are worth adopting and when it’s best to leave well enough alone. We recently adopted a new tool with many possibilities, a Spot Agile Robot from Boston Dynamics. After a March Madness inspired naming contest, our staff affectionately named our robotic team member Astro.
Robotics in construction are a prime example of how innovation can reshape how projects are executed. Robotics offers advantages ranging from improving safety and precision to reducing costs and increasing efficiency. By automating repetitive, labor-intensive, or even unsafe tasks, robots free up human workers to focus on more creative and complex work. While we are still programming our robot and perfecting processes, I’ll share some highlights of the plans we have for Astro.
Efficiency in Project Monitoring
With its ability to traverse construction sites autonomously, capturing and monitoring project data through video scans and working nearly around the clock, Astro promises to increase Aptitude’s labor power. One of Astro’s remarkable features is its self-charging capability. When its battery is low, Astro returns to a charging station to recharge for the next task. This level of self-sufficiency will maximize Astro’s utility on construction sites.
Our robot’s primary function is to enhance project monitoring by capturing data in real time. Equipped with sensors and cameras, Astro can navigate complex construction environments, perform site walks, and gather information essential for making informed project decisions. These capabilities will allow us to maintain a comprehensive view of project progress and identify potential issues early. By deploying Astro to job sites, we will maximize our human staff’s time and minimize travel costs. Whereas a project manager may have previously traveled to a job site multiple times only to learn construction delays meant they were not yet needed for technology work, they’ll now have the data to make more informed scheduling and workflow decisions.
An Extension of Human Staff and Existing Workflow
The integration of Astro into Aptitude’s operations is not intended to replace human labor but to empower and maximize it. Astro will complete routine or repetitive tasks and offer data-driven insights to enhance project effectiveness, freeing up human time to focus on creative and problem-solving work. We don’t anticipate robots ever replacing human team members, but by leaning into innovative tools such as Astro, we can enhance our capabilities.
Another use case for Astro will be its ability to monitor project areas that are potentially hazardous for humans. Examples of this are thermal scans of switch gear where current day clearance requirements do not allow human interaction or entering high-radiation areas. Another aspect I’m excited about is blending our new robotic capabilities with our previously mastered technology skills. An example is using video analytics software that we have used for years to analyze a video or image captured by Astro to determine the status of an installed (or soon to be installed) asset. Or we can use a pre-programmed workflow to deploy Astro to an area on a jobsite in reaction to a sensor alarm, instructing him to collect additional images or utilize some other sensor array that we may have equipped him with for the specific project.
Training Astro and Optimizing Capabilities
To harness Astro’s potential, a small group of our staff is investing time in training and exploring solutions for various use cases. Their goal is not only to understand the intricacies of Astro’s capabilities, but to determine the most effective ways to make our robot a productive extension of our staff’s existing workflow. While many other industries have leaned into the use of robotics tools, the use of a robot as sophisticated as Astro is uncommon within construction. That said, it’s up to us to pave the road.
With its state-of-the-art capabilities, Astro is set to become an indispensable asset in Aptitude’s arsenal. If our foray into robotics is as successful as it promises to be, there’s a chance we might add to our robotic fleet. Yet, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves; while innovation can spur transformation, Astro will need to pass a gamut of tests to prove our hunch that a robot was a good hire.
