ACPA Concrete Pavement Progress Q1 2020

Concrete Pavement Progress www.acpa.org 24 Technological Advances Are Changing  “The mechanical loom and the calculator have shown us that technology is both disruptive and filled with opportunities. But it would be hard to find a decent argument that we would have been better off without these inventions.” — Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, tools that allow concrete producers to in- novate, streamline, and reduce costs will become more affordable and accessible. And when operations large and small are able to keep costs down, competition within the industry will depend on customer service. Here are just a few of the technologies driving this change: Self-Healing Concrete Self-healing concrete, also called bioconcrete, might sound like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but it’s very real and already in use, though the technology is still being perfected. Developed by Dutch microbiologist Henk Jonkers, self-healing concrete incorporates Bacillus bacteria and calcium lactate into a limestone con- crete mixture. When the bacteria feed on the calcium lactate, limestone is produced as a byproduct and repairs cracks within the concrete. Once available, self-healing concrete has the potential to radically change the industry, reducing maintenance costs and lengthening the lifespan of concrete structures by up to 200 years. Drones and Autonomous Equipment Autonomous robots and drones are appearing on more and more work- sites, and they’re becoming increasingly sophisticated. Just last year, 26%