Comparative Analysis of Mobile 3D Scanning Technologies for Design, Manufacture of Interior and Exterior Tensile Material Structures and Canvasman Ltd. Case Study

This report aimed to investigate mobile 3D Scanning technologies to improve the 3D data capture and efficiency into Canvasman’s CAD design and manufacturing processes with focus on accurate resolution. The Santander funded Collaborative Venture Fund (CVF) project has provided research, survey data, evaluation and analysis for Canvasman Ltd. on 3D portable scanning hardware and software. The project solutions recommended in this report offers impartial product information on the current appropriate 3D scanning technology that potentially could improve efficiency of data capturing, design and manufacture of interior and exterior spaces, boats, vehicles and other similar constructions for creating and installing flexible coverings and indoor and outdoor structures

Indoor positioning using symmetric double-sided two-way ranging in a welding hall

We introduce a method by which to locate sensors in a 2.4 GHz wireless network. We tested our system in a rough welding hall, where plasma cutters and welding machines commonly cause radio interference. Indoor positioning is a challenge because standardized GPStype global-positioning technologies are not available. There is therefore a need for extra infrastructure, such as wireless sensors, but moreover there is no standardized communication between sensors. Therefore, it is reasonable to investigate alternative technologies. We found that a reliable positioning system could be created by using Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation. Also, we studied which CSS parameters affect the transfer data rate in order to determine the most reliable speed for both top and average transfer

A review of laser scanning for geological and geotechnical applications in underground mining

Laser scanning can provide timely assessments of mine sites despite adverse challenges in the operational environment. Although there are several published articles on laser scanning, there is a need to review them in the context of underground mining applications. To this end, a holistic review of laser scanning is presented including progress in 3D scanning systems, data capture/processing techniques and primary applications in underground mines. Laser scanning technology has advanced significantly in terms of mobility and mapping, but there are constraints in coherent and consistent data collection at certain mines due to feature deficiency, dynamics, and environmental influences such as dust and water. Studies suggest that laser scanning has matured over the years for change detection, clearance measurements and structure mapping applications. However, there is scope for improvements in lithology identification, surface parameter measurements, logistic tracking and autonomous navigation. Laser scanning has the potential to provide real-time solutions but the lack of infrastructure in underground mines for data transfer, geodetic networking and processing capacity remain limiting factors. Nevertheless, laser scanners are becoming an integral part of mine automation thanks to their affordability, accuracy and mobility, which should support their widespread usage in years to come

Piggybacking on an Autonomous Hauler: Business Models Enabling a System-of-Systems Approach to Mapping an Underground Mine

With ever-increasing productivity targets in mining operations, there is a growing interest in mining automation. In future mines, remote-controlled and autonomous haulers will operate underground guided by LiDAR sensors. We envision reusing LiDAR measurements to maintain accurate mine maps that would contribute to both safety and productivity. Extrapolating from a pilot project on reliable wireless communication in Boliden's Kankberg mine, we propose establishing a system-of-systems (SoS) with LIDAR-equipped haulers and existing mapping solutions as constituent systems. SoS requirements engineering inevitably adds a political layer, as independent actors are stakeholders both on the system and SoS levels. We present four SoS scenarios representing different business models, discussing how development and operations could be distributed among Boliden and external stakeholders, e.g., the vehicle suppliers, the hauling company, and the developers of the mapping software. Based on eight key variation points, we compare the four scenarios from both technical and business perspectives. Finally, we validate our findings in a seminar with participants from the relevant stakeholders. We conclude that to determine which scenario is the most promising for Boliden, trade-offs regarding control, costs, risks, and innovation must be carefully evaluated.Comment: Preprint of industry track paper accepted for the 25th IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering (RE'17

Dimensional measurements in the shipbuilding industry: on‑site comparison of a state‑of‑the‑art laser tracker, total station and laser scanner

Thanks to recent technological innovations, some large-volume-metrology measuring instruments—that would have been considered out of context one/two decades ago—are now efective for the shipbuilding industry, where dimensional errors of a few millimetres are generally tolerated. This paper considers three state-of-the-art instruments: a laser tracker, a total station, and a laser scanner, all with the latest generation of technology. While the frst instrument type has long been widespread for applications in industrial metrology, the last two have traditionally been used in other felds, such as as-built surveying, civil engineering, architecture and topography. Instruments are compared using experimental tests concerning the dimensional verifcation of cruise-ship modules in the relatively under-explored context of the construction of the hull, which represents the ship’s framework. The comparison is structured based on several qualitative and quantitative criteria, including but not limited to (i) simplicity of use for operator(s), (ii) time of acquisition/analysis of measurement data, (iii) metrological performance, and (iv) cost. The main contribution of this article is the on-site testing of instruments of interest, in the typical (unfavourable) working conditions of shipyards

Evolution of RFID applications in construction:A literature review

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been widely used in the field of construction during the last two decades. Basically, RFID facilitates the control on a wide variety of processes in different stages of the lifecycle of a building, from its conception to its inhabitance. The main objective of this paper is to present a review of RFID applications in the construction industry, pointing out the existing developments, limitations and gaps. The paper presents the establishment of the RFID technology in four main stages of the lifecycle of a facility: planning and design, construction and commission and operation and maintenance. Concerning this last stage, an RFID application aiming to facilitate the identification of pieces of furniture in scanned inhabited environments is presented. Conclusions and future advances are presented at the end of the paper

The quality assessment of different geolocalisation methods for a sensor system to monitor structural health of monumental objects

Cultural heritage objects are affected by a wide range of factors causing their deterioration and decay over time such as ground deformations, changes in hydrographic conditions, vibrations or excess of moisture, which can cause scratches and cracks formation in case of historic buildings. The electromagnetic spectroscopy has been widely used for non-destructive structural health monitoring of concrete structures. However, the limitation of this technology is a lack of geolocalisation in the space for multispectral architectural documentation. The aim of this study is to examine different geolocalisation methods in order to determine the position of the sensor system, which will then allow to georeference the results of measurements performed by this device and apply corrections to the sensor response, which is a crucial element required for further data processing related to the object structure and its features. The classical surveying, terrestrial laser scanning and SfM photogrammetry methods were used in this investigation at three test sites. The methods were reviewed and investigated. The results indicated that TLS technique should be applied for simple structures and plain textures, while the SfM technique should be used for marble-based and other translucent or semi-translucent structures in order to achieve the highest accuracy for geolocalisation of proposed sensor system

3D Perception-based Collision-Free Robotic Leaf Probing for Automated Indoor Plant Phenotyping

Various instrumentation devices for plant physiology study such as spectrometer, chlorophyll fluorimeter, and Raman spectroscopy sensor require accurate placement of their sensor probes toward the leaf surface to meet specific requirements of probe-to-target distance and orientation. In this work, a Kinect V2 sensor, a high-precision 2D laser profilometer, and a six-axis robotic manipulator were used to automate the leaf probing task. The relatively wide field of view and high resolution of Kinect V2 allowed rapid capture of the full 3D environment in front of the robot. The location and size of each plant were estimated by k-means clustering where “k” was the user-defined number of plants. A real-time collision-free motion planning framework based on Probabilistic Roadmaps was adapted to maneuver the robotic manipulator without colliding with the plants. Each plant was scanned from the top with the short-range profilometer to obtain high-precision 3D point cloud data. Potential leaf clusters were extracted by a 3D region growing segmentation scheme. Each leaf segment was further partitioned into small patches by a Voxel Cloud Connectivity Segmentation method. Only the patches with low root mean square errors of plane fitting were used to compute leaf probing poses of the robot. Experiments conducted inside a growth chamber mock-up showed that the developed robotic leaf probing system achieved an average motion planning time of 0.4 seconds with an average end-effector travel distance of 1.0 meter. To examine the probing accuracy, a square surface was scanned at different angles, and its centroid was probed perpendicularly. The average absolute probing errors of distance and angle were 1.5 mm and 0.84 degrees, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility of the proposed robotic leaf probing system for automated non-contact deployment of spectroscopic sensor probes for indoor plant phenotyping under controlled environmental conditions