Blog Post B5 - Object Oriented Databases

An object oriented database stores objects rather than data as a relational database. The main difference between an ‘object’ and ‘data’ is that data can be described as an integer, string, or real number, but an object is more complex, such as code or attributes. An object oriented database cannot be stored in a two dimensional table with rows and columns as a relational database can.

The biggest advantage to an object database is that it doesn’t require assembly or disassembly to be able to access the database, which saves time as a relational database requires coding and execution time. Also, object oriented databases are easier to navigate and require less code when the applications are objected oriented. However, as these databases are better geared towards complex sets of data, they are less efficient for simple sets of data. In addition, the database may be slower when accessed in an object-oriented database as opposed to a relational database.

Object-oriented databases work best with CAS applications such as CAD programs, multimedia applications, projects that change over time, and for commerce—basically, any sets of data that are more complex than simple numbers, integers, or strings. This would have a good application in BIM where the information contained in the model that would have to be stored in the database has more information than numbers.

Comments:

Ami Amegan: You have a very exhaustive list of the advantages and disadvantages of object-oriented databases!

Anthony Yau: Good job giving examples of the differences between a relational database and an object-oriented database. It was a bit confusing to me as I was doing my research.

References:

"Object Oriented Databases." Object Oriented Databases. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

B5: Week 6 - Group C - Kevin Saldivar

The main type of database in use now is the relational database, but in recent years object oriented databases have become more popular.  Object oriented database management systems (OODBMS) are systems of data basing in which the information is represented in the form of objects.  This is an advantage when combined with object oriented programming languages since the database and language use the same model of representation.  An object contains both code and data.  The object may contain classes which define the data and methods in the object, but does not include data or methods in it.  Data can be accessed faster since joins are not needed and an object can be retrieved directly by following pointers.  New objects can be created and inherit attributed from multiple other objects if desired, this allows code to be reused quickly and easily.  This type of database can apply to BIM greatly for estimating costs of projects.

Blog 4 - Jaden's Voice ASD Community Center

Anthony Yau

AE 510 – BIM with Senior Design

Blog 4 – Project Description

Group Members: Angelina Castro, Justin Hileman, and Dmitriy Voznyak

February 3 2015

Our Intelligent Building project, which we’ve decided to combine with our senior design course, is a collaborative between us and a non-profit organization called Jaden’s Voice, in order to develop the multiple systems of a community center designed to accommodate families with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). People who have ASD react differently to their surroundings in comparison to those who do not have the disorder, which makes this building very unique in design. Each system will need to be designed to mitigate sensory overload and make the building as comfortable as possible for children with ASD.

This project was chosen in order to develop our skills using Revit and other related software and also to enhance the conceptual design and construction documents that we will be presenting to the client over the next few weeks. This project is a core example of intelligent building because it utilizes all the advantages of building information modeling: drafting system components in three dimensions and monitoring design/construction progress through cost analysis and project schedules.

Through Revit, we will design the structural systems (foundation walls, footings, beams and columns) by combining the software with a structural analysis tool called Robot Structural Analysis Professional. HVAC systems that produce low ambient noise (such as CAV or VAV) will be designed in Revit to meet heating and cooling load demands while reducing possibility of sensory overload. Building performance based on different façade types and HVAC systems will be evaluated using AutoCAD MEP and Revit. Therefore, interoperability between Revit and other Autodesk software is emphasized in this project. Finally, a 4D construction video simulation (3D construction of components combined with time scheduling) will be considered to demonstrate how the systems will be built and visualize each sequence of the construction schedule.

The challenges that we face are mostly due to inexperience with any of the software mentioned above. I have barely used Revit and the structural analysis software provided by Autodesk, which makes it difficult to design the building to the exact way we want it to be. Interoperability is also another issue – how will we incorporate the calculations from the other software into Revit to size equipment and structural members? Will importing our BIM model into AutoCAD MEP lead to any software bugs? These are issues we will be working on in the next few weeks to produce a safe and welcoming structure for the staff of Jaden’s Voice and its visitors.

Response to Taylor Castonguay:

I think it's cool that we can now 3-D print concrete, which is a construction material that is susceptible to hardening too fast before being molded into shape. While I am aware of the benefits of 3-D printing concrete to form building components, I would be very interested to know whether or not 3-D printing has a negative impact on the structural integrity of the concrete when compared to conventional fabrication methods. For example, in the figure you presented, the concrete is printed in layers, which could (I'm just making things up) be failure planes when subjected to loads.

Response to Jinhao Liang:

Your project is very ambitious and is something I look forward to reading at the end of the term. Integrating sustainable design with intelligent building is the best way to approach green infrastructure. With parametric modeling software such as those provided by Autodesk, the amount of energy saved due to efficient HVAC and lighting systems can be simulated and altered. More building owners need to stop thinking about acquiring LEED certification and focus more on designing their buildings to be sustainable and integrated with nature.

Response to Jonathan Liu:

I think your project is going to be super funzies since the building you're going to model has a gigantic cantilever, and everyone knows that cantilevers are what make buildings awesome! I am eager to see how you conduct the structural analysis of the cantilever and to read up on how the members hold up the structure. HVAC analysis will be cool to see too since the building envelope is made of mostly glass - that'll be fun to model in Revit :)

B3 - Group C - The Future Advantages of BIM

As present trends indicate, the use of BIM in the building industry has become the norm. As more and more projects use BIM to succeed, the use of BIM is becoming expected by clients more and more. Current trends in green building also increase the popularity of BIM as these systems are better modeled using BIM programs. As the adoption across the industry increases the face of the industry is changing—since using BIM is a new skill set, the existing jobs that are focused on programs such as AutoCAD are falling out of favor in exchange for employees who know the new programs. In addition the intelligence of BIM programs recognizes the data placed into the program as a building rather than a collection of lines, enabling the program to check for errors that drafting programs would not catch and also enable checking codes against the model without needing a human to understand what they were looking at. The future trends of the BIM programs looks promising and time will tell what the powerful software will be able to do in the future.

One of the biggest impacts that BIM will have on the industry in the future is the changing nature of the profession and those employed in it. However, this happened when 2D drafting software became popular decades ago, and the industry evolved to adapt to this new technology, as it will with Revit/BIM. At this point, AutoCAD is still used widely, but as BIM becomes more popular, it will become the go-to software for most firms to generate drawings and intelligent information about the model. As such, employees who are familiar with BIM programs will become highly sought after and employees that do not have such experience will find it harder to get a job. However, at least for the near future, the industry standard remains 2D drawings, and many companies only use BIM to generate these drawings.

Response to Ami Amegan:

The numbers you provided on how much money BIM saves were incredible! I definitely think that as BIM becomes more mainstream and the programs improve those numbers will continue to increase.

Response to Husain Ibrahaim:

I agree with your point that BIM helps clients visualize the building better. I have friends who don’t know how to read plans or sections and it is very difficult to explain to them how it relates to the rest of the building—a 3D model makes it easy to show parts of a building to a potential client. 

B3 - Week 4 - Future Advantages of BIM/Revit - Ami Amegan

What are the possible future advantages of Revit/BIM?

As design methods are evolving, it is necessary to conclude that Revit/BIM will evolve as well. The main benefit to BIM is its accurate geometrical representation of the parts of a building in an integrated data environment. Below are a few possible advantages to Revit/BIM in the future include but not limited to:

• Thanks to the ability to make quick Changes to Design and the idea of no repetitive tasks, the amount of time spent on projects will be reduced drastically.  During the design phase, the building structure and floor plans needed to be modified often. With Revit, designing and drafting becomes very fast and accurate.
• Revit will assure a high quality construction documents. From experience, the 3D modeling capacity of Revit enables designers and drafters to easily identify clashes and areas of cramming, and resolve them early in the process. This results in mistake free and therefore will reduce delays in construction.
• BIM will help provide better customer service to clients: proposals will be better understood if visually displayed through drawings and 3D models.
•  In 2007, researches have proven that BIM will generate benefits such as:

1.    Up to 40% elimination of unbudgeted change.

2.    Cost estimation accuracy within 3%.

3.    Up to 80% reduction in time taken to generate cost estimate.

4.    A savings of up to 10% of the contract value through clash detections.

5.    Up to 7% reduction in project time.

These numbers were generated back in 2007. With technology being as advanced as it is nowadays and looking at a project to the future, I believe these numbers will increase.

The advantages do not just end at what it is cited. I believe with Autodesk improving their software and coming up with new versions every year, the advantages will increase accordingly. 

Responses to Groupmates:

Anthony: I noticed how you referred to the previous assignment and related BIM to owners. And I also notice how you mentioned how BIM will profit designers. So my question is, in your opinion, who would it benefit more? Designers or Owners?

Kevin: 
The third bullet of my post is indeed something that is already taken place. All I was trying to say is that in the future, the customer service will be even better, as in the percentage of satisfied clients will increase. I believe that the 3D renderings using BIM will be better in the future, therefore will allow designers and drafters to show their clients a better proposal. 

Hope:

I have to admit that I didn't really think of Revit being the main and crucial determinant of how companies will get jobs in the future until I read your post. Indeed from the chapter that we read in the BIM Handbook, I can see how owners will demand that designers are BIM/Revit expert or that it is integrated in their design. This could lead to companies that do not use Revit not getting as many customers, in the future. Therefore everyone has to find a way to use Revit. 

Blog 3 - Future Advantages of BIM

Blog 3 - Future Advantages of BIM

January 27 2015

The current advantages of BIM with respect to intelligent modeling for AEC companies has been proven and include automatic code conformance verification, parametric modeling to maintain consistency after changes to design take place, 4D construction design, and reducing costs and time required to fabricate building components. However, BIM software is still in its infant stage and is continues to develop to enhance the productivity and possibilities of design, construction, operation, and demolition.

As stated in my post in Week 3, facility owners will utilize BIM in the future to create 3D visualizations of their buildings and use automatic quantity check offs to create accurate cost estimates for projects. Multiple design options can be developed with BIM so that the owner can determine which one will provide the best building performance and life cycle costs after construction is complete and the building is in operation. Owners will shift from design-bid-build processes to integrated design and construction teams with the use of BIM to reduce change orders and have more control over what they desire for their projects.

Architects and construction services will become more transparent to benefit the owner and stakeholders by allowing them to present their actual design of the building, project schedules, cost estimates, and other planning information all at once. BIM will allow designers to simulate energy efficiency, structural analysis, acoustics, lighting, and fabrication of building parts accurate to what will exist after construction. Building product manufacturers will make it easier for designers to know the product specifications of the materials used in their models by providing hyperlinks in the BIM software to product catalogs, prices, dimensions, etc. Automated code-checking will continue to improve to prevent code violations from taking place during design and will be done either through BIM embedded tools from third-party developers, or through external software that will check the BIM model. Therefore, BIM is only going to get better for architects, engineers, construction companies, and owners thanks to technological advances for computers and in BIM software such as Revit. 

Reference

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors, 2nd ed. Chapter 8 - The Future: Building with BIM. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

Response to Catherine Stephens:

I discussed the issues you mentioned in your post with my supervisor about a year ago, and he also told me that the integration of services between structure, MEP, architecture, and other systems would lead to lack of responsibility when design errors take place. When every contributor can make changes to a system of the building so easily, how can owners use BIM software to determine the company who is actually at fault?

Response to Rikki Moore:

The problem you mentioned (with regard to performing calculations and renderings in Revit) in your post is exactly what my senior design group is currently experiencing while designing a new community center. We would like to make realistic renders of our model, but are required to download other software such as Maya (which we do not have much experience with) to do so. Therefore, while BIM currently great for modeling multiple systems within one file, it is still not capable of being the ONE software needed to design an entire building.

Response to the Ami Amegan:

The numbers you provided for the improvements in cost estimation and savings made from automatic detection of clashes of systems through BIM were astounding. If more people could save companies more money like that, we wouldn't be in an economic recession! But seriously, I am in agreement that BIM will only get better with time and cost savings and other benefits for designers and owners will skyrocket. And to answer your question, I don;t think the benefits for designers and owners can be quantified against one another. Let's just say both are going to use BIM to save $$$.

B2: BIM Handbook - Chapter 4 - Husain Ibrahaim

Building information modeling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of structures and buildings. They result in more efficiency when it comes to many different aspects of the building such as energy performance, financial mapping, as well as facility management. The most interesting thing about BIM is that it is a step in the right direction for all building and engineering as it adapts the technologies we use today to aid in the understanding of how we put up structures, this allows us to become knowledgeable about areas that could be hindering us before. These efficient solutions seem to be an obvious aid when designing and constructing a building, but one of the less obvious benefits that I thought was interesting from the reading was that BIM helps project stakeholders understand and support the project more efficiently by giving them better visual simulations and representations, they often have very little time or they can often struggle with understanding the complexities of the engineering behind the structure, so the model helps them understand what they are looking at and how to describe what they want which allows the engineers to accomplish those goals. BIM becomes a must have tool for owners so they can track any possible errors or maintenance issues later.
Owners and facility managers would be very benefited from evaluating the 3d model of the building with all of its system components and examine how the systems interact smoothly.
BIM must be a huge part of Intelligent buildings systems as not only do we try to understand how buildings can be intelligent in a physical way, but also intelligent through having awareness of their selves and how they can be optimized. Information is valuable in intelligence and BIM can help us build better, more intelligent, buildings.

Comments:

Bancroft:

I totally agree with you that BIM "doesn't translate well" and it is a little problem for senior employers to get used to it, where it is time consuming. You noted that realistic data can now be used through BIM, this is a very interesting advantage that helps a lot in Engineering firms for engineers and architects to reduce the amount of time of analysis.

Ritvalsky:

Yes! Revit differs than autoCad that the first one deals with components, whereas the other deals with lines only. AutoCAD doesn't give the sense of BIM as Revit does. This is how BIM differs than CAD.

Yau:
I liked the section where you mentioned sustainable design. It is a great feature to have with BIM where it can analyze energy efficiency and reduction costs in green buildings.

Saldivar:
It's interesting that BIM can really hp organizing design tasks and phases. Also, involving many group of employers to work on it at the same time is very beneficial. I liked when the chapter explains how BIM can help in cooperation of all building systems.

References:

Eastman, C.M. & EBSCO Publishing (Firm) 2011, BIM handbook: a guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.

Chapter 4 - BIM for Owners and Facility Managers (Week 2, Group C)

BIM is traditionally a tool that is known to be used by architects and engineers in the design process but it also can be used by the owners and managers of the buildings it is used in. Many of the tools that make BIM such an attractive tool for architects likewise make sense for an owner to use. BIM can analyze the building’s energy use to improve performance, provide accurate cost estimates to reduce financial risk, coordinate scheduling by introducing a 4^th dimension of time into the building’s drawing and shorten the project, and other features that appeal to the owners of the building.

The use of BIM in the design process is at this point usually limited to the final stages of the design, and other programs are used to create preliminary drawings. However as BIM becomes more widespread the use of BIM with all parties involved in the building process will become more common, especially with the owners. BIM makes it easier for someone uninitiated with architectural drawings to understand the building. Seeing a 3D model of a building makes much more sense than a series of plans to someone who is not used to seeing plans on a day-to-day basis. In addition the use of BIM can facilitate the approval steps of the building during the design process, streamlining the construction of the building and saving on costs. What’s more BIM reduces the chance of errors and can prevent lawsuits.

Owners provide the financial backing to a project so they have the most interest in the financial aspects of the project, and as BIM saves both time and money it is worthwhile that building owners learn BIM technologies.

This chapter focused on the implications of using BIM in relation to the owners of the property. It focused on the benefits of using BIM, as would be expected from a book about BIM, but it also talked about the risks of using such software and addressed some of the disadvantages of BIM.

References

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers And Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Jan 2015.

Response to Jonathan Plotkin

I found it interesting how drastically the hours spent on a project by an intern architect declined with using BIM on a project. It was pretty sobering, seeing as most of my friends are currently intern architects at firms around the city, and it makes you wonder how architects fresh out of school will gain the experience necessary to get licensed and move up the ladder if the job of the intern architect is much less important.

Response to Anthony Yau

I agree with your assessment that there are some issues that need to be worked out with BIM, especially seeing as the industry standard for so long has been a series of 2D drawings and it will be hard to change what has been standard for decades (in the case of drafting programs such as AutoCAD) and hundreds of years (in the case of hand-drawn plans). 

Blog 2, Group C: BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

Anthony Yau
Blog 2 - BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

January 19 2015

Building owners and facility managers can utilize building information modeling (BIM) to reduce project timelines,  increase building performance through energy analysis, provide accurate cost analysis through automatic references in the model to materials and labor costs, and provide information about the building during the operation and maintenance of the building. By combining the administrative aspects of design and construction with the capabilities of 3D CAD software, information remains consistent when changes in design occur. This reduces the amount of work for everyone who has a part in the design and construction of the building: architects, engineers, contractors, and stakeholders.

With BIM, the problems that typically afflict proper cost estimating such as not enough time to prepare the estimates, lack of communication, and poor consistency between documentation and drawings, are avoided since owners can do a quantity take off in the BIM model.

The time from the beginning of planning a building to its completion can greatly affect the return on investment of the building. Through parametric modeling, changes to the BIM model harmonize with existing infrastructure in order to reduce construction delays and deliver on time milestones.

With the 3D BIM model, building owners can easily determine how the MEP systems interact with the telecommunications equipment and distribution lines before construction. This allows for actual simulation of maintenance methods that will be used when the building is in operation. Also, BIM software has integrated code verification that checks if the design of the building complies with IBC and other established laws that keep the public safe.

In terms of sustainable design, BIM allows the owner to determine the reduction in cost of operations and carbon emissions of green systems through energy analysis and energy conservation software. Owners can also determine how glazing, which allows daylight into spaces,  affects the heating and cooling loads and see the variations in building performance as a result.

While the advantages of BIM are clear, there are some issues with the process that need to be considered. Before fully integrating BIM into his/her design process,  owners should test the software to design a small scale project with a short time period to learn the functions of the many tools it offers. With a qualified design team and a set goal for the project, a small project can easily be a success and lead to larger, more complex projects in the future.

References

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors, 2nd ed. Chapter 4. Hoboken, N.J. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

Response to Jonathan Potkin

I found it sad (having been an intern for 3 years like the most of us at Drexel) that BIM has eliminated so many intern architects in place for more project managers and architects. While I know that the quality of the work done by a project architect is most likely better than that of an intern, it is important to teach students early on what the future of  project design will look like when they graduate and enter the industry of their field. I contemplate whether this will also affect the type of facility workers building managers will hire (will facility workers need to have experience with BIM at all?).

Response to Abdulghani Albaloushi

I have looked at how everyone is saying that BIM is the new industry standard for AEC firms and that it streamlines design by combining intelligent objects with 3 dimensional visual construction, but I have yet to see any architect or engineering firm use it in practice. I have worked with a few firms on co-op for a number of years now and all the drawings I've seen are in 2D form. Only interior designers that I've worked with seem to have implemented some sort of intelligent 3D drafting software to help our project managers visualize the interior spaces of our proposed buildings.

Response to Ami Amegan

After reading your post Ami, I found the answer to my concerns posted in my response to Abdulghani. The reason why I have not personally encountered a firm that uses BIM to design buildings is that the market is not ready and cost of training BIM specialists is high. However, as the BIM Handbook stated, first and recurring costs can be reduced greatly through 4D simulation, prefabrication, and energy analysis and outweigh the upfront costs of hiring BIM specialists and purchasing software.  

B2 - Ami Amegan - Chap 4 - BIM for Owners and Facility Managers -

BIM has changed the construction industry in so many ways. Nowadays, "most owners that have initiated or participated in BIM efforts are reaping advantages in the marketplaces through the delivery of higher value facilities and reduced operational cost". It has increased owners' involvement in the design process. Originally, owners were only resigned to construction project problems such as cost overruns, schedule delays, and quality issues. Over time, these owners have had a greater emphasis on the building delivery process and its impact on their business. They are involved in every step of the project, starting with a design assessment, in which owners work closely with their consultants to develop programs and requirements for the project using tools such as BIMStorm. Next, the owner can coordinate the infrastructure through 3D models of architectural and structural systems. 

Sustainability is one aspect of building that owners have been taking a lot more into consideration. Green building is leading owners to consider the energy efficiency of their buildings and the impact that they have on the environment. BIM processes have the availability to help reduce the energy consumption through energy analysis, improve operational productivity with simulation tools.

As we all know, cost is a very important subject to owners, whether it is the initial or operational cost. Often, they run into many issues such as overruns that could lead to stopping the project. But nowadays, some of these issues can be avoided by conducting more reliable cost estimate early in the design process by using BIM conceptual BIM estimating. When it comes to scheduling, BIM can help owners and consultants reduce the time to marker through of parametric tools and reduce schedule duration using 3D coordination and prefabrication. No owner wants a delayed project because that results in more money being spent. 

After reading this chapter, it is important to understand the wide range of BIM uses. BIM has developed a tool/software for each step of a project in order for owners to be involved. If an owner desires to implement BIM on a project, it is to be noted that there are problems that might rise; problems such as the market not being ready, the project is already financed and design is completed, training cost is too high etc. But nonetheless, BIM is a great and innovative way for owners to have not only partial involvement but total in the design and construction process.

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors, Second Edition. 2nd ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.

Response to Anthony Yau: 

Truth is, how accurate can those simulations be? From my experience on my second co-op, the owners have implemented the use of BIM software on the project, on so many levels, yet every now and then, there are cost changes that occur out of nowhere and there is a need for change order and such. In my opinion, there could never be enough preparation for changes when it comes to cost, because things change on the market all the time. For instance, what happens if while running those simulations, they used a specific type of product/manufacturer and while the project is ongoing, they encounter a situation where the product is off market or the manufacturer is no longer and they need to acquire a new product? Are there any BIM software that could have predicted that?

Response to Albaloushi:

In our chapter, it was mentioned that it will be very difficult to implemented all those changes into the modern processes of a project. I have learned from experience that obtaining 

BIM licenses for companies are very expensive and training is even more expensive. Also, many people are very old school and do not adapt to change easily. Do you see this changing soon? Do you see more companies implementing BIM into their design and construction process?

Week 2 In Class Blog - Group C

Anthony Yau, Ami Amegan, Guido Pena, Jon Liu

What areas of construction are most susceptible to change?

The essence of technological advancement is based around the concept of efficiency and optimized performance. Some areas of construction that are susceptible to change due to technological advancement include the design, building, maintenance, and recycling of the many systems of buildings. With the advancement of 3-D printing, robotics, and artificial intelligence, the dangers of working at high heights and with heavy equipment to physically construct a building can be eliminated and repetition of tasks in manufacturing construction materials can possibly reduce tolerances (such as size of members).

B1 Group C Lewis

Robotics:

Robots that aid in the performance of day-to-day tasks have always been a major goal of research, but until recently the costs of robots made them prohibitively expensive to the general public. However the price of robots keeps falling as they become easier to design and produce, and the market has seen an increase in the amount of small robots for domestic use. Some of these robots are still outside of the price range of the average consumer—such as a robot that mows your lawn, for a price of $1,100 to $2,000—but others are well worth the amount of money that the consumer would spend on it, such as a robot which rocks a baby to sleep for $180. However, these robots still do need a certain amount of human intervention to perform their tasks. As Kevin Saldivar said, “The machines and robots we have now are capable of completing the tasks that any human may instruct it to do, but it may require constant attention and correction by the human in control.” As robots get smarter this issue may be resolved but for the time being in many areas it is more efficient to have a human perform the task rather than develop and program a robot to do it.

AI:

As robots become more intelligent and perform more and more tasks, it comes to the point where robots will be required to make ethical decisions on par with a human’s morality. A good example of this already in prototype stage is a driverless car, which has to make decisions about driving in which there is no good choice, such as preventing an accident. Scientists are optimistic that robots will be able to have the morality required to make these sorts of decisions.

3d Printing:

Last year the field of 3D printing has become more mainstream as more and more items have been printed that previously would not have been printed. For example, recently a dress was assembled using parts that were designed in a computer and printed using a 3D printer. One of the biggest challenges faced by the team was developing a 3D printed fabric that behaved like fabric though its folds and flowing behavior.

Future:

These subjects are all important for uses beyond the almost trivial uses that they are currently used for as explored in the articles. The developments from these articles can be used on more important uses in the future, once the issues are worked out and the cost of these technologies makes them more accessible to the general public.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/garden/10-home-robots-to-lighten-your-domestic-chores.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/magazine/death-by-robot.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/dress-made-3-d-printed-plastic-flows-like-fabric/

Week 2, Group C Blog post - Jonathan Yu-sen Liu

AE 510 – Assignment 1 Blog Post

Group C

Topics discussed in class:

                In Class, students discussed the meaning of intelligent technology and how they are applied into modern infrastructure. A video Professor Mitchell had shown to the class demonstrates humans who have programmed quad copter drones to carry and place building blocks to form a structure. Students in the class believed that this type of technology represents one of the most modern and wide spread form of technological intelligence that can be easily applied into architectural infrastructure.

Robotics:

The Robotification of Society is Coming

[Shared Evernote Notes]

http://www.wired.com/2015/01/robotification-society-coming/   

Response/Reflection:

                The concept of "Robotification" has been in effect for quite a while where machines are completing human tasks with higher accuracy and efficiency. This article also adds the question "Are robots going to take my job?".  Although the replacement of human labor with mechanical muscle, this makes lives easier for humans and changes the economic industry. Baxter, a learning robot, is programmed to learn from human actions and mimic them. In the video, "Humans need not apply", the presenter shows the many different types of modern technology that can one day easily replace human labor and job. Like that of the horses back in the early 20th century, automobiles put the horses out of commission without any fault from the horses since they just could not be used. The video explains the importance of economics and how effective it is when battling against the working population. Although workers and laborers may lose jobs and the ability to contribute a large portion to the development of the human world, I don't think that that will cause humans to die out. I believe that there will be more jobs available to humans after the roboticization of jobs. I also think that there will be some benefits that are not yet clear to us yet. There may be the possibility that we may become those robots or integrate robotics into humans physically. 

AI:

What Artificial Intelligence is not.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/13/what-artificial-intelligence-is-not/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

Response/Reflection:

                This article addresses the many different misconceptions or concerns that many popular ideas have come across. Some for example include a "omnipresent war machine" destined to destroy human advancement like HAL9000 and Skynet. This article illustrates a different perspective towards the complexity and advancement of Artificial intelligence. Although there are still a large amount of debate within the scientific community, the concept that AI will wipe out human existence is certainly not part of it. AI is defined within this article as a system capable of accomplishing tasks that are otherwise preformed by humans with higher accuracy and performance. I agree with the concept that AI may not be a threat to human existence. There are many concerns that the modern populous has but I don't think the we are at a point yet that we need to recognize robots as a living entity that will feel threatened by our existence. AI advancement may actually increase the benefit of humans with the use of higher efficiency. 

3D Printing:

The Internet of Anything: The 3-D Printer that can spin out custom electronics.

[Shared Evernote Notes]

http://www.wired.com/2015/01/internet-anything-3-d-printer-can-spit-quadcopter-parts/

Response/Reflection:

                3D Electronics is the newest form of 3d Printing. Circuitry in a physical from has been developed and has been integrated into mechanical systems with the use of conductive ink. An example for this new form of technology includes a 3D Printed quad copter with complete functions right after printing was completed. This form of technology can advance into something that will make design and production more efficient and advanced. I think that 3d printing is still in it's infant stage and that there it will require much more improvement to be able to have a large impact in the advancement of our world. Accomplishments such as printing a functioning heart or human organ is a enormous step towards technological advancement. I think 3D printing can help with specific and complex situations.

Future:

Google Tracker 2015: Everything we know Google is working on for the new year.

[Shared Evernote Notes]

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/12/google-tracker-2015-everything-google-is-working-on-for-the-new-year/

Response/Reflection:

                This article lists the many goals that Google has in store for the near future. From things such as home automation to improvements to the self driving cars. Nest is Google's Home automation division, originally a smart smoke detector, that has plans to expand to become even greater. Nest plans to expand to become a smart thermostat that can control and adapt to different situations such as alarms, automated temperature change based on when the homeowner is asleep or away from home.  One example the  new Nest  system is being able to detect when the home owner is on his or her way home and preheat the house temperature accordingly so that when the owner arrives, the temperature will be at the optimum comfort.  This long list of goals from Google is another step into the future as a collection of many things that have a great technological potential. I enjoyed this article because it showed the many different possiblities that technological advancement may occur. I think that this kind of advancement is amazing and it is wonderful to see what an individual or a team can accomplish. 

Responses:
To Kevin Saldivar:

At first, I agree with you about your comment that 3D printing wouldn't be very effective in our modern world since the assembly line and cheap manufacturing is so easily accessible. But I recently came across an article about 3D printing circuits while printing an physical object at the same time. The integration of electronics into 3D printed objects seems much faster and prototypes can be easily made quickly and efficiently. 3D printing seems very arbitrary when mass production but when it comes to design and prototypes, 3d printing can allow for major or minor adjustments to specific and complicated designs. In this case, the electronics are essentially woven into the production of the object and can preform perfectly after production. This may be a key into smaller and smaller scaled product designs that might allow for more things like a more complex microchip or maybe 3D printed skin that can act as replacement for the skin (just an idea).

To Ami Amegan:
I think right now, we can see that there are many problems that can occur for human workers from the development of automated technology, but something that we don't see is what technology can benefit. I was watching a video about the future of robotization applied modern jobs and how it can actually save lives. One example is an automated doctor that will allow for a more accurate diagnosis of diseases and to prescribe the proper medication that doesn't interfere with other types of medication that may potentially pose as deadly. Yes I agree that it will make human lives more complicated, but it also makes our lives easier. I agree with Liang about the two sided argument and that this is another thing that we must adapt to. I don't think that the advancement of technology will stop or slow. Advancement of robotics is inevitable. It is something that we have learned to rely on. I don't think "Laziness" will increase within the human race, but will actually decrease as technology pose as a challenge for humans to become better than robots and will push us as a race to accomplish greater things and discovering more complex topics. Another thing I think will happen will be the harmonic advancement of humanity and technology together into something greater that we don't yet understand or see.

To Anthony Yau:
I don't think robots are perfect, but they are definitely on the track to becoming better than us. Robots are more efficient and require less resources then humans and would naturally be a better option in terms of accomplishing a task. Humans get tired and need extra resources like food and sleep that can jeopardize the quality of the product. I think this might be a good thing. Although we are replacing people from their jobs, it's more effective when people's lives are on the line.

B1 - Group C - Husain Ibrahaim

3D-Printing & Future:

“The little factory” is my perspective about 3D printers. These machines open the door to a very advanced technology that helps manufacturing everything! Starting from simple models to very complicated ones. 3D printing works by creating very thin layers on top of each other in 2-D until the final 3d model completes. The printer was originally uses plastic as an ink since it is kind of easy to deal with. And the way it takes the orders from BIM or CAD software and transfer them to physical models. The printer might first seem to be useless (in industry) or just for simple models, but if we look at it in more advanced point of view, these simple layers can create lots of plastic and even metallic products. 3D-Printers can now manufacture hard metallic tools like crescent wrench. The printer have the ability to manufacture real moving car with all of its parts. Where it took only 44 hours to create Strati by Local Motors. Other big projects that were done like a complex of homes that were constructed by WinSun Decoration Design Engineering. The interesting thing about 3D-printing is that normal people are able to have the printer at home. This would allow people to have little manufactures at homes. The two major interests will be experiencing and mastering CAD software; and having the appropriate “ink” ore materials to be used. This point leads to that these ore materials are going to be the new “oil” of the next generation at some point.

This is a very short sight of 3D printing and how this technology is developing to achieve the desired goal, which making life easier.

Robotics & AI:

Robots can never be more intelligent than humans and when we are inspired of how they perform the tasks perfectly, we are unintentionally acknowledging how brilliant the human, who creates the robot, is. Robots are now used in a very large scale in manufactures and warehouses; and they have different duties and different ways to do them. For example, the use of robotics in Henry Ford’s car manufacture would certainly be different than Amazon’s warehouse. In Ford we are dealing with heavy objects, where in Amazon there are variety of sizes. I was really inspired by the robots that Amazon purchased this year and how they work intelligently. These Robots are cooperating with the employees to make the process much easier.  Robots are coded to lift very heavy shelves filled with different items that customers purchased online in an order of the city of shipping, date of shipping and value of items.

It is very interesting to look forward to have these kind of robots at our homes sometime in the future.

Responses to other blogs:

Ami Amegan:

I liked your point that you mentioned in AI section that we really are just waiting the time that many jobs might be fulfilled by robots! On the other hand, I agree with you that if we let robots do lots of major and minor tasks, laziness will spread out.

Kevin Saldivar:

In 3D printing section, you mentioned that even though many things can be printed with the advanced technology, but in terms of construction, I agree with you that it is not safe to have printed structural members at the mean time. Also, I liked the point you mentioned in the last part that although technology is increasingly improving with high quality sensors and monitors, privacy appears to be affected and lots of information can be easily available.

Anthony Yau:

Thoughtful blog! In particular, you mentioned in robotics section that vehicle automation is under researches to have streets filled with self-driving cars. It is very interesting if that happens while taking care of safety and traffic issues like traffic lights and signs. But don’t you think that this would lead to some kind of weakness in driving skills for people who are commuting? Because emergency situations require human driver.

References:

https://www.evernote.com/pub/aengineer/ae-510#st=p&x=3d%2520printing&n=9b3639ea-0264-4f5c-84a7-bf2bf23d4c98

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/12/7532845/local-motors-just-3d-printed-a-car-live-at-an-auto-show

http://time.com/3605924/amazon-robots/