CONCRETE PAVING PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT USING A MULTI-TASK AUTONOMOUS ROBOT
ABSTRACT To improve productivity in conventional concrete construction, autonomous robots that perform specific tasks are being developed. Single-task robots are capable of enhancing specific functions, though their impact on the overall productivity remains unclear. A robot that incorporates each task-specific piece of machinery used in the concrete paving process into one fully autonomous unit is evaluated. Assessing potential productivity from the use of a fully automated process is a required step for developing a full scale-system. With the purpose of identifying productivity benefits in an automated concrete paving operation, two concrete paving processes will be compared using simulation tools. One process is the conventional operation using intensive labour, slip form paving machine and auxiliary equipment. The other process is the automated operation using a fully autonomous robot. Applications of this assessment methodology based in simulation will allow for the determination of productivity indicators of automated operations in hazardous environments, using the respective results to complement prototypical tests.
Productivity of digital fabrication in construction: Cost and time analysis of a robotically built wall
Abstract Although automation has been actively and successfully used in different industries since the 1970s, its application to the construction industry is still rare or not fully exploited. In order to help provide the construction industry with an additional incentive to adopt more automation, an investigation was undertaken to assess the effects of digital fabrication (dfab) on productivity by analyzing the cost and time required for the construction of a robotically-fabricated complex concrete wall onsite. After defining the different tasks for the conventional and robotically fabricated concrete wall, data was collected from different sources and used in a simulation to describe the distribution of time and cost for the different construction scenarios. In the example, it was found that productivity is higher when the robotic construction method is used for complex walls, indicating that it is possible to obtain significant economic benefit from the use of additive dfab to construct complex structures. Further research is required to assess the social impacts of using dfab.
Construction Robotics: A Perspective
Construction robotics is an infant discipline whose mature form is not apparent. Despite the many advantages and benefits of introducing robotic technology to the construction work site, progress to date has been circuitous. Needs, prospects, challenges, and goals of construction robotics are presented. They suggest an evolutionary approach to the development of advanced construction machines, building on developments in parallel domains. We speculate that the forms of teleoperated, programmed, and cognitive robots and their hybrids will all be relevant in the long term.