Chapter
Jan 25, 2024

A Review of the Benefits of Automation and Robotic Application in Building Construction

Publication: Computing in Civil Engineering 2023

ABSTRACT

Globally, building construction is complex and advanced in performance. The improvement of the economy and social benefits of building delivery depends critically on applying automation and robotic technology throughout all stages of construction. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the benefits of applying automation and robotics technologies to deliver building projects. A systematic review of the literature was utilized to identify the benefits. A total of 43 papers from conferences and journal articles from Scopus databases were utilized for the study. Findings revealed encouraging design specifications, less dependence on direct labour, increased productivity, and reduced duration of project delivery towards delivering construction projects within schedule and at a required quality standard. This study contributes to the construction automation and robotics field by providing evidence of the benefits of the application of construction automation and robotics for building delivery to stakeholders in the construction industry and policymakers.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.

REFERENCES

Abeywardena, D., Kodagoda, S., Dissanayake, G., and Munasinghe, R. 2013. Improved state estimation in quadrotor mavs: A novel drift-free velocity estimator. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 20(4): 32–39.
Andresen, J., Baldwin, A., Betts, M., Carter, C., Hamilton, A., Stokes, E., and Thorpe, T. 2000. A framework for measuring it innovation benefits. Electronic Journal of Information Technology in Construction, 5(March): 57–72.
Bogue, R. 2017. What are the prospects for robots in the construction industry? Industrial Robot: An International Journal.
Boya, A., Akinradewo, O., and Aigbavboa, C. 2022. Implementation of automation and robotics : Benefits to the construction industry., (September).
Carra, G., Argiolas, A., Bellissima, A., Niccolini, M., and Ragaglia, M. 2018. Robotics in the construction industry : state of the art and future opportunities., (Isarc).
Chae, M., Kang, K., Koo, D., Oh, S., and Chun, J. Y. 2020. Fuzzy Controller Algorithm for Automated HVAC Control.
Cheng, T., Venugopal, M., Teizer, J., and Vela, P. A. 2011. Performance evaluation of ultra wideband technology for construction resource location tracking in harsh environments. Automation in Construction, 20(8): 1173–1184.
Davila Delgado, J. M., Oyedele, L., Ajayi, A., Akanbi, L., Akinade, O., Bilal, M., and Owolabi, H. 2019. Robotics and automated systems in construction: Understanding industry-specific challenges for adoption. Journal of Building Engineering, 26(January): 100868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100868.
Davtalab, O., Kazemian, A., and Khoshnevis, B. 2018. Perspectives on a BIM-integrated software platform for robotic construction through Contour Crafting. Automation in construction, 89: 13–23.
Debrah, C., Chan, A. P. C., and Darko, A. 2022. Artificial intelligence in green building. Automation in Construction, 137(March): 104192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104192.
Ejidike, C. C., and Mewomo, M. C. 2023. A Review of Barriers to the Adoption of Smart Building Concepts (SBCs) in Developing Countries BT - Construction in 5D: Deconstruction, Digitalization, Disruption, Disaster, Development. In T. C. Haupt, M. Akinlolu, F. Simpeh, C. Amoah, & Z. Armoed, eds. Cham: Springer International Publishing: 29–37.
García de Soto, B., Agustí-Juan, I., Joss, S., and Hunhevicz, J. 2022. Implications of Construction 4.0 to the workforce and organizational structures. International Journal of Construction Management, 22(2): 205–217.
Gharbia, M., Chang-richards, A., Lu, Y., Zhong, R. Y., and Li, H. 2020. Robotic technologies for on-site building construction : A systematic review. Journal of Building Engineering, 32(April): 101584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101584.
Hatoum, M. B., and Nassereddine, H. 2020. Developing a framework for the implementation of robotics in construction enterprises. EG-ICE 2020 Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering, Proceedings, (July): 453–462.
Helm, V., Ercan, S., Gramazio, F., and Kohler, M. 2012. Mobile robotic fabrication on construction sites: DimRob. In 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. IEEE: 4335–4341.
Javed, A., Mantawy, I. M., and Azizinamini, A. 2021. 3D-Printing of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for Robotic Bridge Construction. Transportation Research Record, 2675(7): 307–319.
Kanyilmaz, A., et al. 2022. Role of metal 3D printing to increase quality and resource-efficiency in the construction sector. Additive Manufacturing, 50(July 2021).
Kim, P., Chen, J., and Cho, Y. K. 2018. SLAM-driven robotic mapping and registration of 3D point clouds. Automation in Construction, 89: 38–48.
Kontovourkis, O., and Konatzii, P. 2021. Environmental and cost assessment of customized modular wall components production based on an adaptive formwork casting mechanism: An experimental study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 286: 125380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125380.
Kumar, G. A., Lee, J. H., Hwang, J., Park, J., Youn, S. H., and Kwon, S. 2020. LiDAR and camera fusion approach for object distance estimation in self-driving vehicles. Symmetry, 12(2).
Kumar, K. N., and Balaramachandran, P. R. 2018. Robotic process automation-a study of the impact on customer experience in retail banking industry. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 23(3): 1–27.
Llale, J., Setati, M., and Mavunda, S. 2020. A Review of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Use of Automation and Robotics in the Construction Industry. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26528-1_20.
Löfgren, A. 2006. ICT investment evaluation and mobile computing business support for construction site operations. In 5th annual mobility roundtable conference, 1-2 June 2006, Helsinki.
Mantha, B. R. K., Feng, C., Menassa, C. C., and Kamat, V. R. 2015. Real-time building energy and comfort parameter data collection using mobile indoor robots. In ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction. IAARC Publications: 1.
Melenbrink, N., Werfel, J., and Menges, A. 2020. On-site autonomous construction robots: Towards unsupervised building. Automation in construction, 119: 103312.
Musa, M. F., Mohammad, M. F., Mahbub, R., and Yusof, M. R. 2014. Enhancing the quality of life by adopting sustainable modular industrialized building system (IBS) in the Malaysian construction industry. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 153: 79–89.
Najib, M., Rashid, A., Branch, P., Campus, S. I., Abdullah, M. R., Ismail, D., Branch, P., Campus, S. I., and Saberi, M. H. 2019. Automation and Robotics in Industrialized Building System (IBS): The Potential Criteria for Measurement., (September).
Noye, S., North, R., and Fisk, D. 2018. A wireless sensor network prototype for post-occupancy troubleshooting of building systems. Automation in Construction, 89: 225–234.
Oke, A., Akinradewo, O., Aigbavboa, C., and Akinradewo, O. 2019. Benefits of Construction Automation and Robotics in the South African Construction Industry. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 385(1).
Pan, M., Linner, T., Pan, W., Cheng, H., and Bock, T. 2018. A framework of indicators for assessing construction automation and robotics in the sustainability context. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182: 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.053.
Pradhananga, P., Elzomor, M., and Kasabdji, G. S. 2021. Identifying the Challenges to Adopting Robotics in the US Construction Industry., 147(5): 1–10.
Mahbub, R. 2012. Readiness of a Developing Nation in Implementing Automation and Robotics Technologies in Construction: A Case Study of Malaysia. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 6(7).
Saidi, K. S., Bock, T., and Georgoulas, C. 2016. Robotics in construction. In Springer handbook of robotics. Springer: 1493–1520.
Santos, F., Pereira, R., and Vasconcelos, J. B. 2019. Toward robotic process automation implementation: an end-to-end perspective. Business Process Management Journal, 26(2): 405–420.
Shehu, N., and Abba, N. 2019. The Role Of Automation And Robotics In Builtings For Sustainable Development., 6(2): 9557–9560.
Son, H., Kim, C., Kim, H., Han, S. H., and Kim, M. K. 2010. Trend analysis of research and development on automation and robotics technology in the construction industry. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 14(2): 131–139.
Strukova, Z., and Liska, M. 2012. Application of automation and robotics in construction work execution. Ad Alta: Journal of interdisciplinary research, 2(2): 121–125.
Teizer, J., Lao, D., and Sofer, M. 2007. Rapid automated monitoring of construction site activities using ultra-wideband. In Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Kochi, Kerala, India. 19–21.
Vähä, P., Heikkilä, T., Kilpeläinen, P., Järviluoma, M., and Gambao, E. 2013. Extending automation of building construction—Survey on potential sensor technologies and robotic applications. Automation in construction, 36: 168–178.
Wagner, H. J., Alvarez, M., Kyjanek, O., Bhiri, Z., Buck, M., and Menges, A. 2020. Flexible and transportable robotic timber construction platform–TIM. Automation in Construction, 120: 103400.
Weintrop, D., Afzal, A., Salac, J., Francis, P., Li, B., Shepherd, D. C., and Franklin, D. 2018. Evaluating CoBlox: A comparative study of robotics programming environments for adult novices. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 1–12.
Whaley, P., Halsall, C., Ågerstrand, M., Aiassa, E., Benford, D., Bilotta, G., Coggon, D., Collins, C., Dempsey, C., and Duarte-Davidson, R. 2016. Implementing systematic review techniques in chemical risk assessment: Challenges, opportunities and recommendations. Environment international, 92: 556–564.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
Pages: 796 - 803

History

Published online: Jan 25, 2024

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

ASCE Technical Topics:

Authors

Affiliations

Cyril C. Ejidike [email protected]
1Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Durban Univ. of Technology, South Africa. Email: [email protected]
Modupe C. Mewomo [email protected]
2Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Durban Univ. of Technology, South Africa. Email: [email protected]
Timothy O. Olawumi [email protected]
3Assistant Professor, School of Computing, Engineering, and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier Univ., UK. Email: [email protected]
Osabhie P. Esangbedo [email protected]
4Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Heriot-Watt Univ., UK. Email: [email protected]

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.

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$198.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$198.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share