Chapter
Jan 25, 2024

Timber Construction Automation Using Industrial Robotic Arm Integrated with an Interactive Rail System

Publication: Computing in Civil Engineering 2023

ABSTRACT

Challenged by the prevalent workforce shortage, the construction industry is picking up interest in using robotic arms in construction operations, especially in the context of modular construction and prefabrication. However, the lack of systematic investigations into integrating robotic arms with mobile systems to enhance mobility and operational range has been identified as one main research gap. Stationary robotic arms have inherent limitations in their range, making mobility a critical need. To address that issue, in this paper, the authors proposed a mobile construction robotic system to facilitate their use in the automation of timber frame assembly operation. The authors simulated the system to assess the interactions and coordination among its various components, and to identify potential areas for improvement. This study showcased the effectiveness of the new system design in improving the timber construction automation process and reveals its potential for further exploration in the realm of mobile construction robotics.

Get full access to this article

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

REFERENCES

Ardiny, H., Witwicki, S., and Mondada, F. (2015). “Construction automation with autonomous mobile robots: A review.” In Proc., 2015 3rd RSI Int. Conf. Robot. Mechatron. ICROM, Tehran, Iran: IEEE, 418–424.
Cyberbotics Ltd. (2022a). “Webots: robot simulator.”. <https://cyberbotics.com/#cyberbotics>(Mar.14, 2023).
Cyberbotics Ltd. (2022b). “Webots documentation: Supervisor.” <https://cyberbotics.com/doc/reference/supervisor>(Mar.14, 2023).
Delgado, J. M. D., 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.” J. Build. Eng., 26: 100868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100868.
Ezzeddine, A., and de Soto, B. G. (2021). “Connecting teams in modular construction projects using game engine technology.” Autom. Constr., 132: 103887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103887.
Kayhani, N., Taghaddos, H., Noghabaee, M., and Hermann, U. (2018). “Utilization of Virtual Reality Visualizations on Heavy Mobile Crane Planning for Modular Construction.” <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1901.06248.pdf>(Mar.14, 2023).
Kim, M. J., Chi, H.-L., Wang, X., and Ding, L. (2015). “Automation and Robotics in Construction and Civil Engineering.” J. Intell. Rob. Syst., 79(3-4), 347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-015-0252-9.
Hedges, L. (2013). “Pneumatic Nail Gun, Univ. of Toledo Advaced CAD Class.” <https://grabcad.com/library/pneumatic-nail-gun>(Mar.14, 2023).
Melenbrink, N., Werfel, J., and Menges, A. (2020). “On-site autonomous construction robots: Towards unsupervised building.” Autom. Constr., 119: 103312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103312.
Pooladvand, S., Taghaddos, H., Eslami, A., Nekouvaght Tak, A., and Hermann, U. (2021). “Evaluating Mobile Crane Lift Operations Using an Interactive Virtual Reality System.” J. Constr. Eng. Manag., 147 (11): 04021154. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002177.
R2023a version, Cyberbotics Ltd. (2022). “Release R2023a · cyberbotics/webots.” <https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots/releases/tag/R2023a>(Mar.14, 2023).
Willmann, J., Knauss, M., Bonwetsch, T., Apolinarska, A. A., Gramazio, F., and Kohler, M. (2016). “Robotic timber construction — Expanding additive fabrication to new dimensions.” Autom. Constr., 61: 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.09.011.
Wong Chong, O., and Zhang, J. (2019). “Game Simulation to Support Construction Automation in Modular Construction Using BIM and Robotics Technology—Stage I.” In Proc., Comput. Civ. Eng, Atlanta, GA: ASCE, 376–383.
Wong Chong, O., Zhang, J., Voyles, R. M., and Min, B.-C. (2022). “BIM-based simulation of construction robotics in the assembly process of wood frames.” Autom. Constr., 137: 104194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104194.
Yang, C.-H., and Kang, S.-C. (2021). “Collision avoidance method for robotic modular home prefabrication.” Autom. Constr., 130: 103853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103853.
Yu, H., Kamat, V. R., Menassa, C. C., McGee, W., Guo, Y., and Lee, H. (2023). “Mutual physical state-aware object handover in full-contact collaborative human-robot construction work.” Autom. Constr., 150: 104829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104829.
Zheng, Z., Zhang, Z., and Pan, W. (2020). “Virtual prototyping- and transfer learning-enabled module detection for modular integrated construction.” Autom. Constr., 120: 103387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103387.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
Pages: 1014 - 1021

History

Published online: Jan 25, 2024

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

ASCE Technical Topics:

Authors

Affiliations

1School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN. Email: [email protected]
Jiansong Zhang, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE [email protected]
2School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN. 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
$266.00
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
$266.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share