As robotics and automation reshape the construction industry, researcher Abdulkabir Opeyemi Bello has called for greater investment in workforce training to prepare craft workers for the changing demands of technology-driven construction.
Bello, a PhD student at the Smart Industrialized Design and Construction (Smart IDC) Lab at the University of Florida, is examining how construction workers can collaborate effectively with robotic systems without losing their essential role in the building process.
His research, known as Human-in-the-Lead Construction Robotics (HiLCR), focuses on identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities workers will need as robots take on more tasks on construction sites.
The Smart IDC Lab is now housed in the university’s Autodesk Design and Make Laboratory, which the institution describes as the most advanced US laboratory dedicated to industrialized construction robotics.
While the growing use of robotics has drawn attention to machines’ ability to improve construction processes, Bello’s work highlights the importance of preparing the people expected to operate alongside them.
“Construction automation is not only a technological transition. It is also a workforce transition,” Bello said. “As the technologies change, we need to understand how the competencies required of construction workers will change with them.”
Construction relies heavily on practical experience, technical judgement, coordination and adaptability. As automated systems assume new responsibilities, workers may need to develop additional competencies to manage, supervise and collaborate with robotic technologies.
Bello’s research also examines how tasks can be shared between humans and robots, taking into account workers’ satisfaction and engagement. Rather than focusing solely on which activities machines can perform, the study seeks to determine how human expertise and robotic capabilities can be combined effectively.
The findings could help educators and training institutions update construction curricula to reflect emerging industry requirements.
“Preparing the workforce should not begin after technologies have already transformed the workplace,” Bello said. “Education and training need to develop alongside technological advancement so that workers are equipped to participate effectively in that transformation.”
The long-term goal is to translate the research findings into training curricula that prepare future craft workers for human-robot collaboration.
Bello’s broader research interests include modular and industrialised construction, sustainability and emerging technologies.
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