Smart technologies enhance safety

[Anchor]

Smart technology is playing a leading role in ensuring safety at our construction sites.

Quadrupedal robots are deployed at explosion sites to assess risks in advance.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is utilized to cure concrete.

Reporter Lee Seung-cheol has the story.

[Report]

Explosives and detonation devices are densely packed into the drilled rock.

This is a tunnel construction site near Seoul.

A siren sounds shortly after.

["3, 2, 1, Blast!"]

A loud explosion and strong vibrations follow.

Now it's the robot's turn. It walks into the thick smoke to check if there are any undetonated explosives left and whether there is a risk of further collapse.

The quadrupedal robot can navigate uneven terrain and even climb stairs.

[Jung Nam-cheol/Chief Researcher/Hyundai Construction Technology Research Institute: "Construction sites are often dangerous. By deploying this robotic dog first, we expect to reduce the risk of safety accidents."]

While the use of robots at construction sites is just beginning, IoT technology is already being actively utilized.

Sensors are installed while pouring concrete.

By maintaining the temperature of the concrete sample storage area identical to the site through these sensors, the condition of the concrete can be accurately monitored.

If the concrete does not cure properly, the risk of building collapse increases, and IoT is used to mitigate this risk.

The work of moving heavy concrete samples can also be minimized, reducing the risk of accidents.

[Lee Ui-bae/Ph.D./Daewoo Construction Technology Research Institute: "We can reduce the long-distance movement of heavy objects, which in turn lowers the risk of safety accidents for workers."]

The incidence and mortality rates of industrial accidents in the construction industry are twice the average of all industries.

If smart technologies, from robots to IoT, can reduce the risk factors in industrial sites, it is time to consider their active adoption.

This is KBS News, Lee Seung-cheol.