Real-Time 3D Reconstruction on Construction Site Using Visual SLAM and UAV

3D reconstruction can be used as a platform to monitor the performance of activities on construction site, such as construction progress monitoring, structure inspection, and post-disaster rescue. Comparing to other sensors, RGB image has the advantages of low-cost, texture rich, and easy to implement that has been used as the primary method for 3D reconstruction in construction industry. However, the image-based 3D reconstruction always requires extended time to acquire and/or to process the image data, which limits its application on time critical projects. Recent progress in visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) make it possible to reconstruct a 3D map of construction site in real-time. Integrated with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the obstacles areas that are inaccessible for the ground equipment can also be sensed. Despite these advantages of visual SLAM and UAV, until now, such technique has not been fully investigated on construction site. Therefore, the objective of this research is to present a pilot study of using visual SLAM and UAV for real-time construction site reconstruction. The system architecture and the experimental setup are introduced, and the preliminary results and the potential applications using visual SLAM and UAV on construction site are discussed.