So far aspects such as work design and user experience have not been really considered in the context of developing construction robots.
For the productive use of a tool, is it not required that the workers using it can use it seamlessly and with a high degree of motivation? Would it this not be a key feature enabling us to re-brand construction work as an attractive type of work that builds skilled workers? Could it help us to create healthier and more age-inclusive organizations?
Maybe the neglect of work design and user experience design in the context of construction robots so far, is one reason for the low adoption rates for this technology we have at present?
What is your opinion on this?
I think, in the past no proper attention was given for the end user requirements. In many cases the manufacturers do not providing sufficient (summarized information preferably videos) information for how to assemble?, how to install, how it works etc.,. Many manufacturing industries though releases books/manuals, but prohibitively long and it becomes harder for the end users to read these instructions and follow the applications accordingly. The same applies to robotics, however., with the passage of time it may be accessible to the common individuals.
There were several approaches to address this issue- ReThink robotics with Baxter had relatively user-friendly interface provided, as part of industrial set-up. There are some applications on making proper UX/UI, but not too much research is done. Note, that most systems might even require specific expensive software packages and related specialists.
Construction robots are not industrial robots and the user experience can not be compared. Although industrial robots manufactures have made a big effort to reach small and medium enterprises, it is still a challenge to produce robots that fit their necessities (easy to install and program, safe,...). In a similar way, construction industry needs have not been satisfied by the robot designers. Many robots are really difficult to install, to program and to maintain. In this way I think that collaborative robots and new advanced programming systems based on AI and VR/AR technologies could make a significant advance in the construction industry in the same way that they are doing in the small batch production industry. Many Industry 4.0 concepts could be translated to the construction industry.
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