A Taxonomy-based Approach to Analyze the impacts of Automation on Human Workers' Qualifications

9 pages•Published: May 15, 2022

Abstract

The 4th industrial revolution is changing every aspect of the construction industry. However, recent studies indicated that, at least for the foreseeable future, most of the new automated technologies will have a complementary role that requires interaction and collaboration with human workers. Therefore, it is critical to prepare and train human workers to work with and alongside robots. Middle-skill workers must gain new skills, knowledge, and abilities to contribute to the industry effectively and stay employed during this technological revolution. To prepare, educate, and train middle-skill workers to embrace the unprecedented changes and get ready for their parts in the automation era, it is critical to, first, analyze and understand how new automated technologies change the work and required qualifications for human workers. This study aims to address this need by proposing a systematic approach based on three types of taxonomies: (1) taxonomy of the work and its tasks, (2) taxonomy of the robot and its functionalities, and (3) taxonomy of the human worker's qualifications. Using these taxonomies, the interactions between the functionalities of a robot, the work, and human workers' requirements are mapped to systematically identify the potential impacts of new technologies on middle-skill workers. The proposed approach is implemented for Hilti’s Jaibot, a semi-automated robot for overhead drilling. The outcomes of this study will help experts systematically design strategic plans to prepare and train middle-skill construction workers to efficiently and successfully work in the digital era.

Keyphrases: automation, middle skill workers, qualifications, taxonomy

In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 3, pages 371-379.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/zqtc
	https://doi.org/10.29007/st64

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2022:Taxonomy_based_Approach_Analyze,
  author    = {Xi Chen and Mohammad Ilbeigi},
  title     = {A Taxonomy-based Approach to Analyze the impacts of Automation on Human Workers' Qualifications},
  booktitle = {ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {3},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/zqtc},
  doi       = {10.29007/st64},
  pages     = {371-379},
  year      = {2022}}

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