A New York based firm called Construction Robotics is gearing up to alter the field of construction in the UK.

They developed a robot named SAM (Semi-Automated Mason), capable of laying 3,000 bricks a day, in comparison to the alleged average of 500 bricks a day a human being is capable of laying.

Their robots already operate on a few construction sites in the US, and in the next few years they plan to expand into the UK.

Construction has traditionally been a job you can get no matter what: there’s always going to be a need for down to Earth hard workers, right?

Maybe not. People are having enough trouble as is finding work, but now robotic laborers might steal the last bit of labor available to people, consolidating even more power in people who already have money.

According to the Mirror:

“While SAM has the ability to pick up bricks, apply mortar and lay them, the robot needs to be heavily supervised.

Human workers still need to set up the robot, supervise health and safety and assist with laying bricks at difficult angles, as well as clearing up, according to Construction Robotics.

However, some of Britain’s biggest construction firms have warned that the automation of the industry is likely to result in mass layoffs.”

Another company called Fast-brick Robotics in Australia is trying to develop a bricklaying machine they call “Hadrian X.”

Hopefully when manual laborers lose their opportunities, their efforts will be turned toward bettering their own community, and creating opportunities for independent business outside of the system. Hopefully the power consolidated in corporations from this technology does not do further damage to people’s ability to provide for themselves.

(Image credit: the Mirror)