Prospects for Automation and Robotics Revolutionizing Ordinary Construction Systems Through Advanced Information Technology

The wave of advanced information technology will drastically change the ordinary construction systems in the Japanese construction industry. The procurement and delivery systems of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation will also be computerized. Construction robots need to be regarded as a construction system in the context of the sophistication of information systems rather than simply as a machine with mechanical motions and automated functions.

This paper describes the current situations of Automation and Robotics in each field of earth work, foundation work, tunneling work, and offshore work, and provides their outlooks and challenges in the future.