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Where are the robotic bricklayers?

constructionphysics.substack.com

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Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#191

Post by jpindar »

cratermoon wrote: post #97
colordrops wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having respect for the skills of a worker and also believing that they are possible to automate are not mutually exclusive. It's no different from people saying the same thing about chess and chess players, or go and go players, before the problem was solved. And it's not just blue collar workers that are a target of this idea. We are already starting to see automated programming moving out of the research lab and in…

Where's the robot that can actually pick up and move pieces on standard chessboard, with no special guidelines or restrictions on pieces?

Seriously?

There's lots of them on YouTube. Here's one with two different robots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65YDAXfSAWw

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#192

Post by ALittleLight »

ehnto wrote: post #159
h0l0cube wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We are already starting to see automated programming moving out of the research lab and into the commercial realm, e.g. GitHub copilot. As soon as GitHub was acquired by Microsoft I knew their intentions were for automated coding tools. I wasn't concerned about this affecting my livelihood in the short to medium term, because state-of-the-art ANNs won't be able to grasp the context of business requirements without…

I started thinking about how you might automate game development, and I think it's a pretty good thought excercise on the topic. I feel like the end result is just what we already have, game engines with visual programming and drag and drop editors. You don't add much value by automating the programming since you still have to define the input and outcome. The real win was building the complex logic and state editor…

This video really amazed me in terms of automated game development. My fantasies are something like this and GPT-3 plus a couple decades of progress.

I think we'll get to genuinely open ended sand box games.

https://youtu.be/udPY5rQVoW0

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#193

Post by robomartin »

egh wrote: post #28

The great contempt that computer people have for the skills that every human brings to the jobs that the do is always on display here. We haven't automated driving; we haven't automated picking tomatoes; we haven't automated bricklaying; we can't automate cooking a fucking hamburger. But they are completely convinced that it's just around the corner, because they are full of contempt for the skill and intelligence of…

I don't think it is contempt. I truly believe most people --event technical folks-- who don't work in robotics and AI lack an understanding of just how difficult it is to build and program a robot that can do what "simple" insects (fly, ant, spider, worm, cockroach, etc.) are able to accomplish. Most of the "impressive" robotics videos we are treated to on YouTube are highly staged, choreographed sequences where one out of N attempts is used as some kind of a PR showcase not even remotely linked to real-world useful capabilities of the robot in display.

I remember how people were amazed when robots like Asimo could not be used during the Fukushima disaster. Anyone who works in these fields, even peripherally, has a very different perspective of reality vs. fantasy and knew the score as it pertained to robots like Asimo, their actual utility and capabilities.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#194

Post by nradov »

ALittleLight wrote: post #189
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Code has been getting automated since basically day one of programming. The funny thing about automation in programming - it has always opened up more doors - and led to more employment in programming. We are so far from anything that resembles real automated coding - that coding automation should continue to be celebrated by engineers for a long time. GitHub Co-Pilot and VS Code aren't going to replace you - they're…

Automated tools will lower the difficulty of coding to the point where it'll be easy to pick up and be massively productive. Developers will be replaced by domain experts becoming productive developers easily with automated tools.

Ha ha. I remember people making those claims about 4GLs and visual programming tools 30 years ago. It wasn't true then and won't be true in our lifetimes. Domain experts typically lack the mindset to think through edge cases and failure modes.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#195

Post by dukeofdoom »

egh wrote: post #28

The great contempt that computer people have for the skills that every human brings to the jobs that the do is always on display here. We haven't automated driving; we haven't automated picking tomatoes; we haven't automated bricklaying; we can't automate cooking a fucking hamburger. But they are completely convinced that it's just around the corner, because they are full of contempt for the skill and intelligence of…

These jobs are usually slow torture for humans to do. Do them long enough, and your body will break under the sun or you will look like a prune, get back pain or a hump and possibly skin cancer. Let the robots do them as soon as possible.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#196

Post by gibolt »

egh wrote: post #28

The great contempt that computer people have for the skills that every human brings to the jobs that the do is always on display here. We haven't automated driving; we haven't automated picking tomatoes; we haven't automated bricklaying; we can't automate cooking a fucking hamburger. But they are completely convinced that it's just around the corner, because they are full of contempt for the skill and intelligence of…

'Most' and 'never' are strong words. I'd imagine many people thought that in the past about modern automation (and it's well documented).

Things will become automated. That is the natural human progression. We are creative, and their are 7+ billion minds with new giants to stand on the shoulder of every day.

AI, soft/compliant robotics, and globalization are strong unrelenting factors/motivators.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#197

Post by novok »

Grakel wrote: post #176
XorNot wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.fbr.com.au/view/hadrian-x Brick laying robots already exist. This isn't a problem that can't be solved, it's a question of making it economically viable. But the future is pretty obviously going to be skilled machinery operators overseeing the automation. Even more interesting its once you automate like this the constraints start changing: i.e. it's easier to have a robot lay bricks with epoxy then cement…

Yes, that system is discussed in the article, and it looks like it doesn't work very well. I doubt it can keep up with human labor. I agree. It will happen eventually, but the bigger point here that is more related to to discussions on HN is that despite a lot of enthusiasm, machine learning and AI are still in the amino acid phase of evolution, and everything still sucks.

It doesn't have to keep up with human labor, it just has to reduce the total amount of human labor. And slow today doesn't mean slow tomorrow. The residential dishwasher is a great example of this.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#198

Post by TaylorAlexander »

egh wrote: post #28

The great contempt that computer people have for the skills that every human brings to the jobs that the do is always on display here. We haven't automated driving; we haven't automated picking tomatoes; we haven't automated bricklaying; we can't automate cooking a fucking hamburger. But they are completely convinced that it's just around the corner, because they are full of contempt for the skill and intelligence of…

Reminds me of a $BIGTECH project with a one armed robot on a wheeled base they thought could do house cleaning. I mean the damn thing couldn’t operate a windex bottle. I don’t think the executives who made this pitch actually clean their own homes.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#199

Post by exabrial »

If you think bricklaying is a simple task, you've probably never laid bricks, or likely ever worked a construction job.

There is _a lot_ that goes into laying a brick wall. From excavation, base compaction, material choice, mortar composition and viscosity, wall type, overlap patterns, leveling, overhang patterns, set time, and much more. Using an incorrect overhang pattern for instance can allow water drops to fall and contact the relatively soft surface of bricks and destroy them in a few years. Having an incomplete mortar seal allows the elements to penetrate through what would normally be waterproof, especially in places with high wind. An improper excavation, compaction material or compaction of said material, improper leveling, and many more factors will lead to failure within just a few years.

The best way to learn about this stuff is to go try it! One could volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or a local shelter that builds homes and get some time with the tools. None of this stuff is simple, straightforward, or easy, and there are a million ways to do it incorrectly.

Re: Where are the robotic bricklayers?

#200

Post by kumarvvr »

Perhaps wall construction / partition construction itself needs to be thought from the ground up, to enable automation.

For example, is it possible to have LEGO like slot fitted bricks, with cavities in slots filled with mortar?

Alternatively, toothed bricks that can be slotted, such that the top brick slots into two lower bricks.

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