Sand, structure, and sustainability... These three words define the infrastructure industry and its future with a technological edge. Over the years, the research and development, which has been done to support this fast-growing construction industry, is centred around the above elements. They take up the highest percentage slab when it comes to construction.
We are living in a technology-driven age. Every aspect of human life is in some way governed by technology. This has translated into various industries leveraging technology to optimise their businesses. The infrastructure sector isn’t far behind.
When it comes to infrastructure, the future lies in optimising self-healing and self-sustaining elements. These elements hold the structure together — externally and internally.
Here, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a pivotal role in providing information about the tensile strength of the structure via a common platform. It will predict future failures based on geographical location, soil, and weather conditions. A combination of natural and lab-grown elements required in construction along with its lifespan to sustain the structure, is what the future will be.
Water is going to be the new currency and this industry is dependent on it, globally. Water leakages are mainly caused due to loose ends in a plumbing pipe, unsealed gaps in the bathroom, electrical conduit, etc. This is where methodology such as ARDWLSDP9 proves to be a boon to the waterproofing industry.
Waterproofing is an important aspect of construction stage. A lapse here can cause structural damages in the long run. The advanced ARDWLSDP9 aids detection of the source of water leakages and fixing them without harming the structure.
Such technologies, which determine the strength of the materials and elements used during the pre-construction stage, will eliminate the possibility of future water leakages. As the structure takes shape, these anomalies will be rectified before the handing-over process.
Micro-level information about every element will be on a single platform. This will help creators to update and monitor data in real-time and will come in handy during safety audits or repair work. With the cases of building collapses on the rise, this approach will save lives in the future.
In the post-construction stage, once the project is in process of sellouts, it can be handed over by using AI to determine the actual cost of sales and purchases. With all the efforts and tech being put to use in the construction stage, AI will consider all this and come up with a price for the space.
The AI will also let buyers know the sustaining capabilities of the structure, geographical location,
vulnerability to seismic variation due to construction work in the area, and more. This will be available to the buyers in real-time, just like the stock markets.
We are in a transition phase now and are slowly heading towards the era of smart infrastructure. Soon, structures will not just be about bricks and cement, but also about technology.
(Mihir Girish Akolkar is Founder of Electric Media Research and Development)
