661 research outputs found

    Toward Co-Robotic Construction: Visual Site Monitoring & Hazard Detection to Ensure Worker Safety

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    Construction has remained the least automated and productive as well as the most hazardous industry. Moreover, it has been plagued by a significant lack of diversity in its workforce as well as aging laborers. To address these issues, co-robotic construction has emerged as a new paradigm of construction. The industry is gradually gearing up to embrace robotic solutions, and many construction robots with various degrees of autonomy are under development or in the early stage of deployment. Presenting a different horizon of construction—harmonious co-existence and co-work between workers and robots—co-robotic construction is expected to reform labor-intensive construction into the more productive, safer, and more inclusive industry. However, an in-depth understanding of the robots’ situational intelligence is still lacking, particularly conclusive logic and technologies to ensure workers’ safety nearby autonomous (or semi-) robots, which is fundamental in realizing the co-robotic construction. To fill the gap, this research established a comprehensive robotic hazard detection roadmap and developed core technologies to realize it, leveraging unmanned aerial vehicles, computer vision, and deep learning. In this dissertation, I describe how the developed technologies with a conclusive logic can pro-actively detect the robotics hazards taking various forms and scenarios in an unstructured and dynamic construction environment. The successful implementation of the robotic hazard detection roadmap in co-robotic construction allows for timely interventions such as pro-active robot control and worker feedback, which contributes to reducing robotic accidents. Eventually, this will make human-robot co-existence and collaboration safer, while also helping to build workers’ trust in robot co-workers. Finally, the ensured safety and trust between robots and workers would contribute to promoting construction enterprises to embrace robotic solutions, boosting construction reformation toward innovative co-robotic construction.PHDCivil EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167981/1/daeho_1.pd

    Towards realizing robotic potential in future intelligent food manufacturing systems

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    This paper provides a comprehensive review of the robotic potential that is foreseen by researchers in designing future food manufacturing plant. The present day food handling and packaging setup is limited in capacity and output due to manual processing. An optimized protocol to fetch various ingredients and shape them in a final product by passing through various stages in an automated processing plant while simultaneously ensuring high quality and hygienic environment is merely possible by using robotized processing. The review also highlights the possibilities and limitations of introducing these high technology robots in the food sector. A comparison of several robots from different classes is listed with major technical parameters. However, as predicted, a food cyber-physical production system (CPPS) visualizes a closed loop system for the desired output keeping in view various constraints and risks. Human machine interface (HMI) for these machines complies with the industrial safety standards to provide a fail safe production cycle. Various new horizons in research and development of food robots are also highlighted in the upcoming industrial paradigm

    Aerial Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance

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    Aerial robots with perception, navigation, and manipulation capabilities are extending the range of applications of drones, allowing the integration of different sensor devices and robotic manipulators to perform inspection and maintenance operations on infrastructures such as power lines, bridges, viaducts, or walls, involving typically physical interactions on flight. New research and technological challenges arise from applications demanding the benefits of aerial robots, particularly in outdoor environments. This book collects eleven papers from different research groups from Spain, Croatia, Italy, Japan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Denmark, focused on the design, development, and experimental validation of methods and technologies for inspection and maintenance using aerial robots

    EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES & THEIR ADOPTION ACROSS US DOT'S: A PURSUIT TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE IN HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT DELIVERY

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    In the transportation construction industry, emerging technologies have changed how state departments of transportation (DOTs) deliver highway construction projects. New and innovative technologies continue to be introduced, improved, and implemented for highway construction and their use has resulted in faster, more accurate, and more efficient planning, design, and construction. As the highway construction industry infuses more technologies into the process of project delivery, state DOTs have an opportunity to realize improved project performance regarding cost, schedule, and quality. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) initiatives promote the use of various advanced and emerging technologies (e.g., automated machine guidance, unmanned aircraft systems, building information modeling, handheld instruments and devices, and work zone intrusion detection systems). The use and implementation of emerging technologies vary significantly across the United States. The variety of use and experience is attributed to challenges and barriers that DOT face to investigate, test, and implement a specific technology. The implementation of emerging technologies also depends on the support received from internal management, the state legislation, as well as the ability of the technology to solve a problem within the specific processes of a state DOT. As technologies continue to be introduced and improve, state DOTs continue to consider and explore various technologies for construction. The main objective of this thesis is to identify and document the state of practice, typical benefits and challenges, and trends in the use of select emerging technologies for highway construction delivery. This thesis utilized survey questionnaire, interviews and case study as research tools to fulfill the objective of the research. This five technology areas are: 1) visualization and modeling; 2) interconnected technologies; 3) safety technologies; 4) instrumentation and sensors; and 5) unmanned aircraft systems. Visualization and modeling technologies include building information modeling, virtual and augmented reality, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and 3D printing. Interconnected technologies for construction vehicles, equipment, and tools are used for delivery and haul vehicles, pavement and earthwork equipment, and handheld tools. The results show that each DOT uses a definitive approach from initiation to implementation of technology. Some technologies like visualization and modelling have matured more than others and hence are exploited to full potential. The major challenges faced by DOTs in technology implementation are lack of availability of standard documents and the reluctance from senior management towards change. Case study results showed that general contractors are more active in implementing the technologies and reaping the benefits from these technologies, have in house staff that is experienced on its use, and exploit the possible outputs. The results of this study will provide practitioners and professionals with proactive measures and guidance on successfully implementing technology at agency (DOT) and project level

    Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

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    This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time

    Construction industry 4.0 and sustainability: an enabling framework

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    Governments worldwide are taking actions to address the construction sector's sustainability concerns, including high carbon emissions, health and safety risks, low productivity, and increasing costs. Applying Industry 4.0 technologies to construction (also referred to as Construction 4.0) could address some of these concerns. However, current understanding about this is quite limited, with previous work being largely fragmented and limited both in terms of technologies as well as their interrelationships with the triple bottom line of sustainability perspectives. The focus of this article is therefore on addressing these gaps by proposing a comprehensive multi-dimensional Construction 4.0 sustainability framework that identifies and categorizes the key Construction 4.0 technologies and their positive and negative impacts on environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and then establishing its applicability/usefulness through an empirical, multimethodology case study assessment of the UAE's construction sector. The findings indicate Construction 4.0’s positive impacts on environmental and economic sustainability that far outweigh its negative effects, although these impacts are comparable with regards to social sustainability. On Construction 4.0 technologies itself, their application was found to be nonuniform with greater application seen for building information modeling and automation vis-à-vis others such as cyber-physical systems and smart materials, with significant growth expected in the future for blockchain- and three-dimensional-printing-related technologies. The proposed novel framework could enable the development of policy interventions and support mechanisms to increase Construction 4.0 deployment while addressing its negative sustainability-related impacts. The framework also has the potential to be adapted and applied to other country and sectoral contexts

    Cable-driven parallel robot for curtain wall module installation

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    A cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) was developed for the installation of curtain wall modules (CWM). The research addressed the question of whether the CDPR was capable installing CWMs with sufficient accuracy while being competitive compared to conventional manual methods. In order to develop and test such a system, a conceptual framework that consisted of three sub-systems was defined. The tests, carried out in two close-to-real demonstration buildings, revealed an absolute accuracy of the CWM installation of 4 to 23 mm. The working time for installing a CWM was reduced to 0.51 h. The results also show that the system is competitive for a workspace greater than 96 m2 compared to conventional manual methods. However, improvements such as reducing the hours for setting up the CDPR on the one hand and achieving a faster and more robust MEE on the other hand will be still necessary in the future.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 73251

    Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Version 1.0

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    This Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Version 1.0 (“roadmap”) represents the culmination of the UASSC’s work to identify existing standards and standards in development, assess gaps, and make recommendations for priority areas where there is a perceived need for additional standardization and/or pre-standardization R&D. The roadmap has examined 64 issue areas, identified a total of 60 gaps and corresponding recommendations across the topical areas of airworthiness; flight operations (both general concerns and application-specific ones including critical infrastructure inspections, commercial services, and public safety operations); and personnel training, qualifications, and certification. Of that total, 40 gaps/recommendations have been identified as high priority, 17 as medium priority, and 3 as low priority. A “gap” means no published standard or specification exists that covers the particular issue in question. In 36 cases, additional R&D is needed. The hope is that the roadmap will be broadly adopted by the standards community and that it will facilitate a more coherent and coordinated approach to the future development of standards for UAS. To that end, it is envisioned that the roadmap will be widely promoted and discussed over the course of the coming year, to assess progress on its implementation and to identify emerging issues that require further elaboration
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