Comparative Analysis of Manual and Robotic Concrete Drilling for Installation Hangers
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
Robots have increased the safety, productivity, and quality of manufacturing. Recently, sensing, computing, and mapping technologies have started to enable the use of robots in unstructured environments like construction. As robotic construction methods are being prototyped and adopted on site, innovation leaders in construction must analyze the safety, productivity, quality, and cost impacts of the deployment of robots. The researchers gained access to engineering, planning, and production data for the first use of a concrete drilling robot on site. This paper compares the traditional way of drilling holes with the robotic way. Compared to manual drilling for installation hangers, the robot achieved a 10% time reduction, increased task ergonomics by cutting 98% of muscle strain work hours, and reduced rework from 5% to 3%. Our comparison pays particular attention to the three levers a project team has to influence project outcomes—the product, the organization, and the process—and found that decisions like implementing a building information model (BIM) at Level of Development (LOD) 400 facilitated the robot use. This study makes two contributions to the fields of construction robotics and project management: First, this research shares a careful analysis of the application of a drilling robot to offer insights into the applicability of robots on site. Second, this analysis suggests key elements and procedures of a framework to compare robotic and traditional construction methods. Future research should establish the generality of this analysis framework.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a Stanford University Center for Integrated Facility Engineering Seed Research Grant. The authors would like to acknowledge the advice and input by Jon Sakarias Liknes of Kruse Smith and Tomas Henninge of nLink and thank Andrew Peterman for his review of an earlier version of this manuscript.
References
Agrawal, V. P., V. Kohli, and S. Gupta. 1991. “Computer aided robot selection: The ‘multiple attribute decision making’ approach.” Int. J. Prod. Res. 29 (8): 1629–1644. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207549108948036.
Bock, T. 2008. “Construction automation and robotics.” In Robotics and automation in construction. 1st ed., edited by C. Balaguer and M. Abderrahim, 21–42. Rijeka: InTechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/5861.
Bock, T. 2015. “Construction robotics enabling innovative disruption and social supportability.” In Proc., 32nd Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining, 1–11. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction.
Bock, T., and T. Linner. 2015. Robotic industrialization: Automation and robotic technologies for customized component, module, and building prefabrication. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139924153.
Bock, T., and T. Linner. 2016. Construction robots: Elementary technologies and single-task construction robots. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139872041.
Brosque, C., G. Skeie, J. Orn, J. Jacobson, T. Lau, and M. Fischer. 2020. “Comparison of construction robots and traditional methods for drilling, drywall, and layout tasks.” In Proc., 2020 Int. Congress on Human-Computer Interaction, Optimization and Robotic Applications (HORA), 1–14. New York: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HORA49412.2020.9152871.
Bruzl, I. M., I. V. Usmanov, I. P. Svoboda, and I. Š. Rostislav. 2016. “Optimizing the trajectory of the painting robot.” In Proc., 33rd Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), 605–612. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2016/0073.
Darwiche, A., R. E. Levitt, and B. Hayes-Roth. 1988. “OARPLAN: Generating project plans by reasoning about objects, actions and resources.” Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf. 2 (3): 169–181. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0890060400000639.
Eisenhardt, K. M. 1989. “Building theories from case study research.” Acad. Manage. Rev. 14 (4): 532–550. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308385.
Elattar, S. M. S. 2008. “Automation and robotics in construction: Opportunities and challenges.” Emir. J. Eng. Res. 13 (2): 21–26.
Everett, J. G. 1994. “Ergonomics, health, and safety in construction: Opportunities for automation and robotics.” In Proc., Automation and Robotics in Construction XI: Proc., 11th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, edited by D. A. Chamberlain. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-82044-0.50007-2.
Everett, J. G., and A. H. Slocum. 1994. “Automation and robotics opportunities: Construction versus manufacturing.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 120 (2): 443–452. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1994)120:2(443).
Fischer, M., A. Khanzode, D. Reed, and H. W. Ashcraft. 2017. Integrating project delivery. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119179009.
Folkesson, P., and R. Lönnroos. 2018. “Construction automation: Assessment of state of the art and future possibilities.” Accessed January 20, 2018. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1213613&dswid=3773.
Gambao, E., and C. Balaguer. 2002. “Robotics and automation in construction [guest editors].” IEEE Rob. Autom. Mag. 9 (1): 4–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2002.993150.
Hartmann, T., J. Gao, and M. Fischer. 2008. “Areas of application for 3D and 4D models on construction projects.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 134 (10): 776–785. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2008)134:10(776).
Hartmann, T., W. E. Goodrich, M. Fischer, and D. Eberhard. 2007. “Fulton street transit center project: 3D/4D model application report.” Accessed January 20, 2018. https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:jb189fx5671/TR170.pdf.
Huang, A. L., R. E. Chapman, and D. T. Butry. 2009. Metrics and tools for measuring construction productivity: Technical and empirical considerations. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1101.
IFR (International Federation of Robotics). 2018. “Executive summary world robotics 2018 service robots. Executive summary world robotics 2018 service robots.” Accessed September 17, 2019. https://ifr.org/downloads/press2018/Executive_Summary_WR_Service_Robots_2018.pdf.
Jackson, J. R. 1990. “Robotics in the construction industry.” Accessed December 11, 2018. http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a225511.pdf.
Kangari, R. 1985. “Robotics feasibility in the construction industry.” In Proc., 2nd Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, edited by D. A. Sangrey, 66–103. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC1985/0005.
Kangari, R., and D. W. Halpin. 1989. “Potential robotics utilization in construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 115 (1): 126–143. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1989)115:1(126).
Kenley, R., and T. Harfield. 2014. “Location breakdown structure (LBS): A solution for construction project management data redundancy.” In Proc., Int. Conf. on Construction in a Changing World, 11. Manchester, UK: Univ. of Salford.
Khatib, O., et al. 2016. “Ocean one: A robotic avatar for oceanic discovery.” IEEE Rob. Autom. Mag. 23 (4): 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2016.2613281.
Khatib, O., K. Yokoi, O. Brock, K. Chang, and A. Casai. 1999. “Robots in human environments.” In Proc., 1st Workshop on Robot Motion and Control, RoMoCo 1999, 213–221. New York: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMOCO.1999.791078.
Koskela, L. 2000. “An exploration towards a production theory and its application to construction.” Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.vttresearch.com/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/2000/P408.pdf.
Koulouriotis, D. E., and M. K. Ketipi. 2014. “Robot evaluation and selection Part A: An integrated review and annotated taxonomy.” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 71 (5–8): 1371–1394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-013-5525-5.
Kumar, V. S. S., I. Prasanthi, and A. Leena. 2008. “Robotics and automation in construction industry.” In Proc., Architectural Engineering Conf. (AEI) 2008: Building Integration Solutions, 1–9. Reston, VA: ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/41002(328)3.
Kunz, J., and M. Fischer. 2012. “Virtual design and construction: Themes, case studies and implementation suggestions.” Accessed August 15, 2020. https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:gg301vb3551/WP097_0.pdf.
Lee, S., and J. I. Moon. 2015. “Case studies on glazing robot technology on construction sites.” In Proc., 32nd Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining, 1–8. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/isarc2015/0077.
Miyakawa, H., J. Ochiai, K. Oohata, and T. Shiokawa. 2000. “Application of automated building construction system for high-rise office building.” In Proc., 17th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, edited by M.-T. Wang, 1–6. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/isarc2000/0083.
Neil, C., G. Salomonsson, and M. Skibniewski. 1993. “Robot implementation decisions in the Australian construction industry.” In Vol. X of Automation and Robotics in Construction X: Proc., 10th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), edited by K. W. G. H. Watson, 133–140. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction.
Nnaji, B. O., and M. Yannacopolou. 1988. “A utility theory based robot selection and evaluation for electronics assembly.” Comput. Ind. Eng. 14 (4): 477–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-8352(88)90049-6.
Ragaglia, M., A. Argiolas, and M. Niccolini. 2017. “Cartesian-space motion planning for autonomous construction machines.” In Proc., 34th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 983–990. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2017/0136.
Rao, R. V., and K. K. Padmanabhan. 2006. “Selection, identification and comparison of industrial robots using digraph and matrix methods.” Rob. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 22 (4): 373–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2005.08.003.
Rempel, D. 2009. “Evaluating interventions for overhead drilling.” Accessed July 24, 2018. https://www.cpwr.com/research/completed/evaluating-interventions-overhead-drilling.
Rosenfeld, Y., A. Warszawski, and U. Zajicek. 1992. “Economic evaluation of robotized interior finishing works on full-scale experiments.” In Proc., 9th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, edited by T. Yoshino, 191–200. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/isarc1992/0026.
Saidi, K. S., T. Bock, and C. Georgoulas. 2016. “Robotics in construction.” In Springer handbook of robotics. 2nd ed., edited by B. Siciliano and O. Khatib, 1493–1519. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30301-5_48.
Senescu, R., G. Aranda-Mena, and J. Haymaker. 2011. “Relationships between project complexity and communication.” Accessed July 6, 2020. https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:xt189rg8036/TR196.pdf.
Skibniewski, M. J. 1998. “Framework for decision-making on implementing robotics in construction.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 2 (2): 188–201. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3801(1988)2:2(188).
Skibniewski, M. J., P. Derrington, and C. Hendrickson. 1986. “Cost and design impact of robotic construction finishing work.” In Actes des journÃes internationales “Colloque CAO et Robotique en Architecture et BTP, edited by J.-L. Salagnac, 496–517. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC1986/0038.
Skibniewski, M. J., and M. Golparvar-Fard. 2015. “Toward a science of autonomy for physical systems: Construction.” Accessed September 17, 2019. https://cra.org/ccc/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/Construction-v4.pdf.
Skibniewski, M. J., and S. Y. Nof. 1989. “A framework for programmable and flexible construction systems.” Rob. Auton. Syst. 5 (2): 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/0921-8890(89)90006-7.
Slaughter, E. S. 1997. “Characteristics of existing construction automation and robotics technologies.” Autom. Constr. 6 (2): 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-5805(96)00186-0.
Sousa, J. P., P. Azambuja Varela, and P. F. Martins. 2015. “Between manual and robotic approaches to brick construction in architecture expanding the craft of manual bricklaying with the help of video projection techniques.” Accessed April 11, 2019. http://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/ecaade2015_240.content.pdf.
Takatoshi, U., Y. Kajioka, H. Sato, J. Maeda, and N. Okuyama. 1988. “Research and development on tobotic systems for assembly and finishing work.” In Proc., 5th Int. Symp. on Robotics in Construction, edited by R. Ishikawa, 279–287. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction.
Tanaka, N., M. Saito, K. Arai, K. Banno, T. Ochi, and S. Kikuchi. 1986. “The development of the ‘Mark II’ mobile robot for concrete slab finishing.” In Proc., Actes des journÃes internationales ‘Colloque CAO et Robotique en Architecture et BTP’, edited by J.-L. Salagnac, 616–626. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC1986/0048.
Tandur, S. 2015. “Towards a new BIM ’dimension’-translating BIM data into actual construction using robotics.” In Proc., 32nd Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining, 1–7. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/isarc2015/0051.
Usmanov, V., M. Bruzl, P. Svoboda, and R. Šulc. 2017. “Modelling of industrial robotic brick system.” In Proc., 34th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), 1013–1020. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2017/0140.
Wang, C., L. Ikuma, J. Hondzinski, and M. de Queiroz. 2017. “Application of assistive wearable robotics to alleviate construction workforce shortage: Challenges and opportunities.” In Proc., Computing in Civil Engineering 2017: Sensing, Simulation, and Visualization. Reston, VA: ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784480830.044.
Warszawski, A. 1984. “Application of robotics to building construction.” In Proc., 1st Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, edited by D. A. Sangrey, 33–40. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC1984/0003.
Warszawski, A., and Y. Rosenfeld. 1994. “Robot for interior-finishing works in building: Feasibility analysis.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 120 (1): 132–151. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1994)120:1(132).
Warszawski, A., and D. A. Sangrey. 1985. “Robotics in building construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 111 (3): 260–280. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1985)111:3(260).
Woo, S., D. Hong, W.-C. Lee, J.-H. Chung, and T.-H. Kim. 2008. “A robotic system for road lane painting.” Autom. Constr. 17 (2): 122–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2006.12.003.
Yamada, M., K. Fujino, H. Kajita, and T. Hashimoto. 2017. “Survey of the line of sight characteristics of construction machine operators to improve the efficiency of unmanned construction.” In Proc., 34th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 588–593. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2017/0082.
Zedin, T., L. Vitalis, F. Guéna, and O. Marchand. 2017. “A method based on C-K Theory for fast STCR development: The case of a drilling robot design.” In Proc., 34th Int. Symp. on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 464–471. Tokyo: International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2017/0064.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 7, 2020
Accepted: Oct 5, 2020
Published online: Jan 4, 2021
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 4, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.