Wednesday, January 14, 2015

B1: Week 2, Group D, Abdulghani Albaloushi

Our group was asked to read about HVAC (heating, ventilation and air condition), sensors, AI (artificial intelligence), database and future.

HVAC systems are used to provide heating and cooling services to buildings. These systems have become the required industry standard for construction of new buildings. HVAC systems are also responsible for providing fresh outdoor air to dilute interior contaminants such as odors from occupants, chemicals used for cleaning etc. They also control the ambient environment such as temperature, humidity, airflow and air filtering. An efficient system will provide a comfortable indoor environment and reduce the energy costs throughout the year.

Sensors: are devices that detect actions or changes in quantities and provide a related output, generally as an electrical or visual signal. They are widely being used in modern buildings. Some of the applications are auto garage gates, voice sensors, light sensors, motion sensors, etc. The need for new technologies is increasing day by day.  I read about Zuli Smartplugs and Iris Smart Kit. After reading about these topics I realized the importance of sensors in our lives, both economically and environmentally.
I think having sensors in the construction process of any building would be very effective and increase in the productivity of the project.

AI is the intelligence displayed by machines or software. As Mark stated in his post, the only thing I am concerned about is that if artificial intelligence reached the wrong hands. I believe no matter how intelligent these devices are, we will always need humans to supervise these machines. Another point of concern is replacing humans with artificial intelligence will reduce the work opportunities for humans. Yes having latest technologies is extremely important, but we should also take into consideration the lives of the humans that are going to lose their jobs after the occurrence of these sensors and robots.

Database is a collection of information that is organized in a way that it can be accessed and edited anytime. It is very important in construction business, especially if there were any errors or confusions, one can always go back to the database and check the correct values. In an integrated system, sensors, AI and databases are combined. So for example, when performing the excavation, one can choose the depth of the excavation, and have the robot do the job. In this case, if there were any confusions or errors, one can always go back to the database and check the correct values.
Therefore, I believe database is extremely important in construction businesses.

Future: I think the future of the construction business will depend on the development in technologies. As we talked in class, applying new technologies such as robotics in construction sites might be extremely expensive in the beginning. Therefore, I believe if the companies reduced the cost of the modern devices, we might see these technologies in the construction industry in the coming future, or else we might not see them anytime soon.


Comment to Mark:
I completely agree to what you mentioned regarding the concerns of AI. I also think that AI must be used in proper ways and must not be misused. Also, AI should not replace humans. We will always need humans in all industries.

Comment to Jonathan:
I like your post. I think you did a very good job summarizing the Nest and Revolv. I also think that the personal information is stored and set as default. But I don’t think they will sell this piece of information when selling the product.

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