Study: AI and Robotics Need to Be Adopted at "Warp Speed" to Avoid Past Infrastructure Mistakes

Gecko Robotics has announced the findings of a study regarding the use of robotics and AI to improve United States infrastructure.

The Pittsburgh-based company, which manufactures solutions for industries including oil and gas, manufacturing and others, teamed up with Rho Impact to study how the utilization of robotics and AI, can lead to significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

"At a time when leaders are balancing net-zero goals with economic stimulation and growing demand for energy, especially in developing economies, we need a new game plan to achieve 2030 goals,” commented Jake Loosararian, Gecko CEO and co-founder, in a statement.

He added that technology must be adopted at “warped speed” to prevent past U.S. infrastructure failures.

The research discovered that implementing AI technology could lead to a reduction of 853 million metric tons (MMT) annually, or 18 percent of the country’s CO2 emissions. The study found this could be achieved through reducing the number of cars on America’s roadways by more than half, or 64 percent.

The findings centered around using robotics to improve industrial efficiencies “across diverse industries,” as well as reducing waste and carbon emissions.

Digitization in the pulp and paper industry could reduce emissions 46 MMT by 2030 and increase operation efficiencies by 6 percent, according to the findings. In addition, the EPA recommends routine inspection and maintenance.

The same is true for maritime.  Rho Impact CSO Seth Sheldon said that AI and robotics could lead to a decrease in ship stationery maintenance time by up to 1.5 days annually.

“… then emissions from global maritime shipping could be avoided annually by 11 MMT CO2e in 2030, relative to a business as usual scenario," he added.

Estimates from the study show a 37 percent emissions efficiency improvement in the oil and gas industry with the use of AI to detect corrosion, leaks and defects through methane and greenhouse gas (GHG) detection.

"Improving the sustainability of today's infrastructure requires ongoing innovation, including how we collect data about the built world," commented Gilman Callsen, RImpact CEO. "The potential emissions impact of improving the reliability of heavy industry and infrastructure demonstrates the promise of deploying scalable technologies that are available today."

Source: Gecko Robotics