< PreviousWRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL A ccording to the Federal Highway Administration, there are around 4.19 million miles of roads in the United States. With an ever-growing population, these roads are being put to the test like never before. Increased num- ber, driving longer, in bigger vehicles; it is no wonder much of the infrastructure network is in need of repair. That may be an unfair criticism, however. Modern road networks will always require maintenance cycles to repair damage caused by rain, vehicles, heat, and light. The fact remains, however, that maintaining the road network is expensive business and it is one which requires many man hours, documentation, safety considerations and testing. So, is there a way to har- I N F R A S T R U C T U R E R E P A I R A U T O N O M O U S | 20 MARCH 2024ness modern technologies to reduce the financial and human burden on overstretched governments and councils? For example, the U.S. Infrastructure Bill is a positive thing. There is no doubt about it. However, if we delve into the figures, we find that an incredible amount of money is needed just to repair and maintain the infrastructure we currently enjoy. In the context of an aging network badly in need of complete overhaul, we find ourselves asking if there is an alternative that could redirect all-important funds to the most needed projects. Every new lane-mile of road costs around $24,000 to maintain in good repair. Nationally, this equates to $231.3 billion per year. I N F R A S T R U C T U R E R E P A I R A U T O N O M O U S | 21 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONA UK start-up company has developed technology which could significantly reduce the costs of road and highway main- tenance. Robotiz3d is on a mission “to build safer, more sus- tainable road infrastructure with radically transformative tech- nologies.” It is located at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory and has been testing and using AI to identify and autonomously repair potholes and cracks in a safer, faster, and cheaper way. While it may sound too good to be true, the results are demonstrating an effective and radical way to maintain infrastructure networks. Robotiz3d came as the result of four years of research and development. The technology can record road conditions in real time, mapping and detailing cracks and other potential hazards before they become potholes. This pre-emptive repair strategy would be enormously cost-saving and would drastically reduce the man-hours needed to repair roads. Dr Paolo Paoletti, CTO at Robotiz3d believes that this technol- ogy will genuinely revolutionize infrastructure maintenance. He explained how, incredibly, the equipment can document, report and repair. Paoletti said, “The Robotiz3d solution will autonomously identify and localize potholes, characterize their geometry, and collect measurements on the go. The ability to automatically deposit sealing material, fixing smaller cracks before they evolve into potholes, is also a first.” Not only that, but Paoletti explained how the data-driven company is able to utilize historical road maintenance figures to predict ‘black-spot’ areas that are higher risk of damage. “These features, coupled with a prediction algorithm to help prioritize work schedules, are anticipated to improve the safety and lifespan of road networks, make maintenance tasks COVID-resilient, and contribute to reductions in road repair costs, fuel consumption, GHG emission, and tyre wear.” The technology is incredibly exciting, and innovative. It patrols roads autonomously and can also be controlled by remote control. It gathers and documents the condition of roads and can operate at a speed of up to 60km per hour. Working round the clock, the vehicle scans one lane at a time, providing AI generated images of roads including the depth information and volumetrics of cracks and potholes. Once identified, the technology automates repair processes from site preparation, filling and compacting, to finish, with minimum or no human interaction needed. Data collected from the vehicle can be accessed remotely in real time. Lisa Layzell, CEO and co-founder at Robotiz3d, added that the benefits of this technology are enormous both in terms of financial savings and the quality of life for residents. “This is the first autonomous technology of this kind developed specifically to tackle the pothole crisis which plagues many parts of the country, and which is estimated to have cost more than £1bn to repair over the last decade.” | 22 MARCH 2024Robotiz3d is currently a UK based company, but it has no desire to remain operating on a national level. The plan is to raise funding to roll out the network of highway repair robots in the UK initially with a view to growing its network into the global economy. Amin Amiri, CEO of a2e Industries, explained, “This is a true innovation that can help the UK save public money and save hassle for the citizen. We’re confident in Robotiz3d and its highly capable engineering and manage- ment team to bring this much-needed technology to market. The technology could eventually solve one of the most endemic worldwide problems of the logistics and transport industry, with transformative impact.” The concept is wildly innovative and revolutionary. However, questions will remain as to the quality of autonomous robots. Doubts always linger among us humans as to the standard of work that a robot can offer in comparison to our own discerning eye. For evidence of this, we can look to other sectors, where autonomous robots have been performing human tasks for some time. Robotic automation has been industry standard for many years in some production and factory workspaces, but one significant step up took place in recent years that may ease any lingering doubts. US Researchers reported on a completely autonomous robot that performed keyhole surgery on a pig. The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) carried out laparoscopic surgery to connect two ends of the pig’s intestine. According to the published paper, the robot performed the highly technical procedure to a standard “significantly better” than that of a human surgeon. “Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery.” It would be facetious to draw comparisons between intesti- nal surgery and road maintenance, but the evidence is there, nonetheless. If autonomous robots can perform one of the most intricate and delicate surgical procedure to standards higher than that of a human, our road network can certainly benefit from this technology. With many new technologies, we must wait to see how the industry reacts. Current indications are that Robotiz3d have developed something with huge potential benefits and there is a growing interest in seeing the project roll out on a wider scale. As vast sums of federal money are currently being funneled towards maintenance, it is interesting to think that someday in the very near future, we may be witnessing the start of preventative, autonomous repair on our roads. www.robotiz3d.com “The technology could eventually solve one of the most endemic worldwide problems of the logistics and transport industry, with transformative impact.” | 23 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWRITTEN BY EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI T he construction industry is built upon generational companies that adapt and grow as the industry demands. As the U.S. has steadily grown over the past century, so too have the structures we reside in, the offices we work in, the transport network that carries us around the country. All this needs the sustained input of companies that know the industry, that have grown with it, that get it. Island International Enterprises is one such company. Island provides spray-applied products to structural steel on commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. Founded in the 1970’s, the company has a rich history made up of Irish roots. While this is something that the company is rightly proud of, it is not one to rest on its laurels and has grown into a multigenerational company with its foundations firmly embedded in the local community. At the outset, Island International Enterprises was set up with a broad base. Its goal was to offer General Contract- ing to the construction industry– doing everything from spray fireproofing and spray insulation to intumescent coatings, drywall, and pre- engineered unitized facades. Tom Burk, Senior Vice President at Island International Enterprises acknowledges its broad base and explains how, over time, this has led to adapting methods of working. “It started as a very broad-based construction company and now it has broken up into specialized divisions.” | 24 MARCH 2024| 25 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONThe Spray Fireproofing division focuses on Spray Applied Fireproofing and Spray Applied Insulation including Thermal Insulation, Acoustic Insulation and Spray Polyurethane Foam. In this division, the team provides clients with spray-applied coatings on structural steel, concrete and masonry in com- mercial, industrial, and institutional buildings and structures. Burk said, “We have a very long history of successfully com- pleting very large and demanding infrastructure projects.” Island International Enterprises has tremendous Bonding capacity which makes it the Premier Fireproofing Company on projects for agencies such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, The MTA and the LIRR. In 2016 Island was chosen to apply Spray High Density Fireproofing directly above the LIRR Railroad tracks on the Hudson Yards Project. Island worked around the clock while select tracks were put out of service from Fridays through Sundays for 2 years to complete this project. No project came with a greater responsibility than the World Trade Freedom Tower. The Freedom Tower project consisted of 105 stories, also included on the same World Trade Site were the Vehicle Security Center and the Path Train station. Additionally, Island International Enterprises has also been working on La Guardia Airport since 2017; a project on which it completed work on every terminal and is expected to be completed this year. Other ongoing projects include redevelopment work on JFK Airport, The Google Building, The Spiral Tower and the Moynihan Post Office —which was converted into an extension of Penn Station in New York City. Island International Enterprises is not strictly limited to public infrastructure, with the team also completing highly successful projects for hospitals, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies across New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware. Since its inception, the company has been on an upward trajectory. Island International Enterprises has seen a large amount of steady growth since the 1970s. “Constant steady growth,” is how Burk describes it. With the success that the company has experienced, it seems that this may be a modest assessment. He added, “If you note the projects that we’ve done, you see the growth. We went from working on office and warehouse buildings to the Freedom Tower – [which] was at the time the largest, tallest fireproofed building in the world. You can reach your own conclusions from that, but we’ve certainly seen sustained steady growth over the lifespan of our company”. | 26 MARCH 2024HIGHWAY SAFETY PROTECTION CORP CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT RENTALS & TRUCKING SERVICES Booms | Scissor Lifts | Telescopic Forklifts Attenuator Trucks | Traffic Control Safety Equipment | Trucking Services Aerial Platforms & much more! 718-358-4040 CALL TO PLACE YOUR ORDER 15-11 130 TH ST, COLLEGE POINT, NY 11356 | E: OFFICE@HSPRENTALS.COM | WWW.HSPRENTALS.COME:pg.pristineservices@gmail.com | pristineservices.com Pristine Services is a family run, Women’s Business Enterprise with 25 years of experience in union trade subcontracting. Our organization has collective bargaining agreements with all major trade unions and we have managed human capital for dozens of clients across hundreds of projects. Pristine Services is proud to have worked with Island Companies for the last 10 years! We look forward to many more years as an outstanding partner. Reach out today to learn how Pristine Services can help improve your project.: Every successful company attributes their success to a number of factors. According to Burk, some major factors stand out in being key contributors: a superb workforce, a great office and management team, and strength across each of its divisions. “As a full-service company, we have our own servicing division with our own mechanics and trucking departments. We self-build all of our Proprietary Specialized Pumping Equipment, and we self-perform everything we do. We are basically a one-stop company for everything.” This team is exemplified in the length of service that staff members have reached within the company. Incredibly, Island International Enterprises has workers who have been there for over forty years. Not only that, but their children and in some cases their spouses have joined the company too, making it a multi-generational family-oriented workforce. Burk said: “A lot of our workers have been with the company for their whole working career, and they’ve made a successful living here and supported their families and done very well, so that type of organization with that employee retention creates an atmo- sphere of great team spirit. It’s definitely a team mentality and again it’s been very successful. We take on the demands and challenges of our projects no matter what they are. We make every project situation work, sometimes we have worked around the clock, three shifts per day, seven days a week on projects. No project is too big for us to accomplish.” However, despite the positive experiences, spending decades in business will invariably lead to challenges. The pandemic in particular proved to be a difficult period across the industry. Despite the pandemic disrupting every corner of people’s lives, Burk said that for Island, it gave the company an opportunity to demonstrate its adaptability. “We | 28 MARCH 2024did not miss a beat in the pandemic”. The company’s projects were deemed essential by the state and the construction site workers and the mechanic and trucking staff were able to work throughout the pandemic, with the estimating and office staff that could work from home doing so. Burk said, “Thank God none of our people were permanently affected by the virus, but the Javits Center was going then, the Moynihan station was going, La Guardia Airport was going, and all those projects were essential projects and we worked throughout the pandemic, so I think that was a great accomplishment. The pandemic was one of the worst things that happened to us, obviously, but we were able to rise above it and keep going.” The outlook for the company for the coming year is a positive one. As the industry maintains its recovery, Island International Enterprises is at the forefront of the landscape once more. “2024 - that’s a great outlook. We’ve been at LaGuardia Airport for seven years and we’re nearing completion on that. Mean- while, we just started work at JFK Airport last year. We expect to be there for multiple years.” It goes without saying that in order to succeed in business, you need hard work, expertise and a little bit of luck. Island International Enterprises is a company that shows how far you can go with the addition of a strong team. In summing up the company, Burk refers to the benefits harnessed from looking after staff, clients, and the local community. “It’s the story of a company with a team mentality, that promotes from within. Many of our members have had their whole careers with this company, which I think these days is unique because I think that whole concept of staying with a com- pany you are proud to be a part of for your whole career is probably not the norm.” “It’s the story of a company with a team mentality, that promotes from within.”Next >