Robots bring house down — with help from humans
ROBOTS have been spotted tearing down city centre buildings!
But there is no need to worry, we are not being invaded by some machine race bent on destroying Swansea.
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For behind every good robot is a good construction worker operating its controls.
The remote control robots are being used to strip tons of concrete and steel from Swansea's St David's Centre.
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Specialist processing equipment will then be used to sort out materials from the debris taken down so far for recycling.
Swansea Council and the Welsh Government bought the largely-empty St David's site earlier this year.
It is now being demolished to open up land for long-term city centre regeneration when economic conditions improve.
A car park will be constructed on site in the short term to meet the needs of city centre traders and boost the number of shoppers.
Some of the concrete being taken down will be used in the construction of the car park.
Much of the recent work has been focused on the part of the centre that once accommodated Safeway and S4C programme Heno's video-editing suite.
Councillor Nick Bradley, Swansea Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "Many thousands of people will have visited the St David's Shopping Centre in the past, so I guess you could say it's the end of an era.
"But this demolition is badly needed because the centre's been an eyesore for some time that's stood in the way of progress.
"The recycling of the concrete and steel is important because it shows demolition can be achieved in a sustainable way and that materials will be salvaged and re-used wherever possible.
"The works programme is on schedule and we'll continue to keep nearby businesses and residents informed as the scheme moves forward."
The Welsh Government contributed grants towards the purchase and demolition of the St David's site through its regeneration area programme and the business, enterprise, technology and science department.
Two disused pedestrian footbridges have already been taken down as part of the demolition project — one that linked the centre with the Quadrant car park, and the other in the centre itself.
A huge majority of the work is earmarked for completion by the spring of 2013.
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Comments
by Philosoraptor
Friday, September 14 2012, 10:41PM
“If you saw some of the things that Boston Dynamics are making, you'd realise there is no need for someone to stand there with a remote control. A bipedal machine that is scarily human at movement, a quadrapedal machine that cannot be kicked over by a man despite it walking on ice and another quadrapedal machine that runs faster than Usain Bolt.
In twenty years, there will be hollywood style Transformers like machines doing demolition work on its own, the only people involved will be changing the nuclear batteries being produced at Sellafield.... Unless they build a machine to do that as well.”
by kingcurt
Friday, September 14 2012, 6:21PM
“This destruction of labour is a global, ongoing problem. Even in low-wage economies we are now seeing the introduction of robots, machinery and software that are taking away jobs that were moved there from places like Europe.
Globalisation has only benefited the 0.1% of the world's wealthiest and it will long continue to, even when we have no money left to buy anything.”
by hacker_jack
Friday, September 14 2012, 6:03PM
“Benny it's one man controlling it just the same as if he was sitting in a mini-JCB. As Neathboy said that has been the norm for ages, it takes the person out of harms way and allows him a better view of the area (and anyone who might enter the area) and thus makes the job far safer (at least it should).”
by Neathboy234
Friday, September 14 2012, 2:08PM
“Nothing new we have had remote bucket machines/bulldozers in the steelworks for many years. At least 25 years from what i can remember
BTW it's not a robot machine, mealy one operated by a man via remote control;”
by bennyhill4
Friday, September 14 2012, 2:00PM
“Unfortunately it's a sad sign of modern technology that robots are now doing the work that workmen used to get paid to do.You only have to go to any supermarket nowadays and see the amount of people in the self service queue.I am not against modern technology but i wonder if this trend continues where are the jobs going to come from to replace the one's lost to machinery”