Human-Aware Safe Robot Control and Monitoring System for Operations in Congested Indoor Construction Environment
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
This study presents a framework for human-aware robotic sensing and control for safe human-robot coordination in dynamic construction environments. The framework addresses the critical need for enhanced safety measures in the construction industry, where robots are increasingly being deployed for various tasks. The proposed framework incorporates task-based risk assessments, safety rule definitions, real-time human detection, distance estimation, and adaptive robot control mechanisms. It enables a robot to autonomously adjust its actions based on the estimated distance to the closest human worker, allowing for prompt stopping, speed reduction, or continued full-speed operation as required. The framework enhances safety and fosters trust between human workers and robots in collaborative environments. A prototype application was tested in a simulated residential construction site with a mobile robot with multiple depth cameras to provide 360-degree visibility. The result of the case study demonstrates the potential to safely control autonomous construction robots working around human workers.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Accident Law Group. (2020). 4 types of robot-related work accidents. https://www.accidentlawgrouppa.com/blog/2020/08/4-types-of-robot-related-work-accidents/.
Bdiwi, M., Pfeifer, M., and Sterzing, A. (2017). A new strategy for ensuring human safety during various levels of interaction with industrial robots. CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology, 66(1), 453–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2017.04.009.
Bock, T. (2015). The future of construction automation: Technological disruption and the upcoming ubiquity of robotics. Automation in Construction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.07.022.
Centroid Point. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2023, from http://pointclouds.org/documentation/classpcl_1_1_centroid_point.html.
Christensen, H. I., Yanco, H., and Editors, U. M. L. (2023). Mid-cycle Update to the US National Robotics Roadmap 1 (Issue CCC). https://cccblog.org/2023/04/12/the-ccc-releases-mid-cycle-update-to-the-us-national-robotics-roadmap/.
Contreras, C. (2022, May 19). Advanced Construction Robotics Aims to Disrupt Construction Industry With TyBOT and IronBOT - Robotics 24/7. https://www.robotics247.com/article/advanced_construction_robotics_aims_to_disrupt_construction_industry_with_tybot_and_ironbot.
Demolition Robots. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2023, from https://www.raseq.com/demolition-robots/.
Everett, J. G., and Slocum, A. H. (1994). Automation and robotics opportunities: Construction versus manufacturing. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1994)120:2(443).
Frustum Culling. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2023, from https://pointclouds.org/documentation/classpcl_1_1_frustum_culling.html.
International Standard Organisation. (2010). Safety of Machinery — Positioning of Safeguards with Respect to the Approach Speeds of Parts of the Human Body. https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:13855:ed-2:v1:en.
Keyence International. (n.d.). Light Curtain Installation and Safety Distance (Minimum Distance):Safety Knowledge. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from https://www.keyence.eu/ss/products/safetyknowledge/caution/.
Levratti, A., Riggio, G., Fantuzzi, C., De Vuono, A., and Secchi, C. (2019). TIREBOT: A collaborative robot for the tire workshop. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 57(November 2018), 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2018.11.001.
Liu, H., and Wang, L. (2017). Human motion prediction for human-robot collaboration. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 44, 287–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2017.04.009.
Liu, Z., Wang, X., Cai, Y., Xu, W., Liu, Q., Zhou, Z., and Pham, D. T. (2020). Dynamic risk assessment and active response strategy for industrial human-robot collaboration. Computers and Industrial Engineering, 141(January), 106302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2020.106302.
Manyika, J., Chui, M., Miremadi, M., Bughin, J., George, K., Willmott, P., and Dewhurst, M. (2017). A future that works: AI, automation, employment, and productivity. McKinsey Global Institute Research, Tech. Rep, 60, 1–135.
Marvel, J. A., and Norcross, R. (2017). Implementing speed and separation monitoring in collaborative robot workcells. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 44, 144–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2016.08.001.
OSHA. (1970). Robotics - Standards | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. https://www.osha.gov/robotics/standards.
Redmon, J., Divvala, S., Girshick, R., and Farhadi, A. (2016). You only look once: Unified, real-time object detection. Proceedings of the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2016-Decem, 779–788. https://doi.org/10.1109/CVPR.2016.91.
Robot Industries Association. (2014). RIA TR R15.406-2014 for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems —Safety Requirements - Safeguarding.
Robotic Industries Association. (2012). ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements. https://webstore.ansi.org/Standards/RIA/ansiriar15062012.
Robotic Industries Association. (2016a). RIA TR R15.306-2016 for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements - Task-based Risk Assessment Methodology.
Robotic Industries Association. (2016b). RIA TR R15.606-2016 for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems —Safety Requirements-Collaborative Robots. https://webstore.ansi.org/Standards/RIA/RIATRR156062016?gclid=Cj0KCQjwteOaBhDuARIsADBqReilraaP7pkAjKesW1x6EC21oIwpycqZHh8xUeNr65ossOcfOFVy-3EaApXOEALw_wcB.
Safeea, M., and Neto, P. (2019). Minimum distance calculation using laser scanner and IMUs for safe human-robot interaction. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 58(March 2018), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2019.01.008.
Wessling, B. (2022, September 16). HP announces autonomous construction layout printing robot - The Robot Report. https://www.therobotreport.com/hp-announces-autonomous-construction-layout-printing-robot/.
Wishart-Smith, H. (2023, March 20). Built Robotics Unveils Autonomous Pile Driving Robot, Expediting Solar Rollout. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heatherwishartsmith/2023/03/20/built-robotics-unveils-autonomous-pile-driving-robot-expediting-solar-rollout/?sh=58893beb7591.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
History
Published online: Mar 18, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Automation and robotics
- Business management
- Construction engineering
- Construction industry
- Construction management
- Control systems
- Engineering fundamentals
- Human and behavioral factors
- Occupational safety
- Practice and Profession
- Public administration
- Public health and safety
- Residential construction
- Safety
- Systems engineering
- Systems management
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.