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Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke, John Aliu, Patricia Fadamiro, Paramjit Singh Jamir Singh, Mohamad Shaharudin Samsurijan and Mahathir Yahaya
This study presents the results of an assessment of the barriers that can hinder the deployment of robotics and automation systems in developing countries through the lens of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study presents the results of an assessment of the barriers that can hinder the deployment of robotics and automation systems in developing countries through the lens of the Nigerian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A scoping literature review was conducted through which barriers to the adoption of robotics and automation systems were identified, which helped in the formulation of a questionnaire survey. Data were obtained from construction professionals including architects, builders, engineers and quantity surveyors. Retrieved data were analyzed using percentages, frequencies, mean item scores and exploratory factor analysis.
Findings
Based on the mean scores, the top five barriers were the fragmented nature of the construction process, resistance by workers and unions, hesitation to adopt innovation, lack of capacity and expertise and lack of support from top-level managers. Through factor analysis, the barriers identified were categorized into four principal clusters namely, industry, human, economic and technical-related barriers.
Practical implications
This study provided a good theoretical and empirical foundation that can be useful to construction industry stakeholders, decision-makers, policymakers and the government in mapping out strategies to promote the incorporation and deployment of automation and robotics into the construction industry to attain the safety benefits they offer.
Originality/value
By identifying and evaluating the challenges that hinder the implementation of robotics and automation systems in the Nigerian construction industry, this study makes a significant contribution to knowledge in an area where limited studies exist.
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Describes recent developments at the Tokyo bi‐annual International Robot Exhibition. More exhibitors were present than in previous years, however very few new innovative…
Abstract
Describes recent developments at the Tokyo bi‐annual International Robot Exhibition. More exhibitors were present than in previous years, however very few new innovative technologies /products were observed. In the middle of the depressed economy Japanese industrial robot manufacturers are struggling to reduce cost, reshuffle business structure and try everything to survive. A total solution approach and strategic alliances were evident. On the other hand there is a sign of emerging non‐manufacturing market, especially in the entertainment area.
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The purpose of this is to paper discuss the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) upon the industrial property sector through the identification of observable…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this is to paper discuss the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) upon the industrial property sector through the identification of observable trends now and in the near future. The paper looks at the current ICT influences on industrial property, highlighting the nature of the impact and its implications for the sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws upon the authors own experience of the industrial and IT sectors to isolate key technologies and resulting changes in the drivers of industrial property.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of this paper is on demand side factors that affect the supply of an industrial product. The impact of ICT upon the efficiency and operation of industrial facilities themselves is excluded.
Practical implications
Through the facilitation of changes in occupational demand, ICT has had a dramatic effect upon the industrial property sector over the last 30 years, changing the paradigms of location, structure and configuration beyond recognition.
Originality/value
The industrial property sector does often feature in discussions of the impact of ICT upon property generally. Yet of all the types of property, arguably industrial has seen the biggest quantum change over time facilitated by ICT. This article adds value to that debate through highlighting this fact.
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Anders Kjær‐Nielsen, Anders Glent Buch, Andreas Emil Kryger Jensen, Bent Møller, Dirk Kraft, Norbert Krüger, Henrik Gordon Petersen and Lars‐Peter Ellekilde
The purpose of this paper is to describe a robot vision system which put rings on hooks that are moving freely on a conveyor belt. The hook can show a significant swinging which…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a robot vision system which put rings on hooks that are moving freely on a conveyor belt. The hook can show a significant swinging which can be well approximated by a pendulum movement. The problem is of large relevance for many industrial applications and the challenge is to compute a 3D pose that is sufficiently precise to allow for successful placements of the rings.
Design/methodology/approach
This requires a fast and precise tracking and a compensation for latencies connected to the processing of visual information as well as the actual robot action.
Findings
The authors achieve this through a precise pose estimation in a high‐resolution stereo setup, as well as a modeling of the hook movement as a combination of a translational and a pendulum movement.
Originality/value
The paper shows that under normal conditions close to 100 percent success can be achieved such that this technology now can be transferred into industrial systems.
Omid Maghazei and Torbjørn Netland
Although the industrial application of drones is increasing quickly, there is a scarcity of applications in manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to explore current and…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the industrial application of drones is increasing quickly, there is a scarcity of applications in manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to explore current and potential applications of drones in manufacturing, examine the opportunities and challenges involved and propose a research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports the result of an extensive qualitative investigation into an emerging phenomenon. The authors build on the literature on advanced manufacturing technologies. Data collected through in-depth interviews with 66 drone experts from 56 drone vendors and related services are analyzed using an inductive research design.
Findings
Drones represent a promising AMT that is expected to be used in several applications in manufacturing in the next few years. This paper proposes a typology of drone applications in manufacturing, explains opportunities and challenges involved and develops a research agenda. The typology categorizes four types of applications based on the drones’ capabilities to “see,” “sense,” “move” and “transform.”
Research limitations/implications
The proposed research agenda offers a guide for future research on drones in manufacturing. There are many research opportunities in the domains of industrial engineering, technology development and behavioral operations.
Practical implications
Guidance on current and promising potentials of drones in manufacturing is provided to practitioners. Particularly interesting applications are those that help manufacturers “see” and “sense” data in their factories. Applications that “move” or “transform” objects are scarcer, and they make sense only in special cases in very large manufacturing facilities.
Originality/value
The application of drones in manufacturing is in its infancy, but is foreseen to grow rapidly over the next decade. This paper presents the first academically rigorous analysis of potential applications of drones in manufacturing. An original and theory-informed typology for drone applications is a timely contribution to the nascent literature. The research agenda presented assists the establishment of a new stream of literature on drones in manufacturing.
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Brian R. Duffy, Gregory M.P. O'Hare, John F. Bradley, Alan N. Martin and Bianca Schoen
In investing energy in developing reasoning machines of the future, one must abstract away from the specific solutions to specific problems and ask what are the fundamental…
Abstract
Purpose
In investing energy in developing reasoning machines of the future, one must abstract away from the specific solutions to specific problems and ask what are the fundamental research questions that should be addressed. This paper aims to revisit some fundamental perspectives and promote new approaches to reasoning machines and their associated form and function.
Design/methodology/approach
Core aspects are discussed, namely the one‐mind‐many‐bodies metaphor as introduced in the agent Chameleon work. Within this metaphor the agent's embodiment form may take many guises with the artificial mind or agent potentially exhibiting a nomadic existence opportunistically migrating between a myriad of instantiated embodiments. The paper animates these concepts with reference to two case studies.
Findings
The two case studies illustrate how a machine can have fundamentally different capabilities than a human which allows us to exploit, rather than be constrained, by these important differences.
Originality/value
Aids in understanding some of the fundamental research questions of reasoning machines that should be addressed.
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