Robot Planning for Active Collision Avoidance in Modular Construction: Pipe Skids Example
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148, Issue 10
Abstract
Robot-assisted assembly has shown great potential in modular construction for the future. However, as the complexity of prefabricated structural modules increases, the likelihood of unexpected robotic collisions also rises, such as unexpected collisions between robots and structural modules during the assembly process. Most robotic collision avoidance methods rely on known robot specifications, especially the work envelope, that is, the range profiles of movement created by a robot arm moving forward, backward, up, and down. In contrast, it is unknown what models of robots will be applied for future modular construction because of the rapid development of robot mechanical designs. The deep uncertainties related to future robot work envelopes can challenge any effort for planned robotic collision avoidance for robot-assisted modular construction. There is a pressing need for a simulation-based robot collision avoidance planning method for future robot-assisted modular construction that captures the deep uncertainties of work envelopes of future robots. As a result, this paper presents an active robotic collision avoidance method, called collision-free workspace and collision-avoidance path planning (CWCP), to tackle the unique robotic collision challenges in modular construction. First, CWCP uses an inverse kinematics Monte Carlo (IKMC) simulation in the design phase of a pipe skid module to scan a large number of possible robotic movement trajectories and the corresponding boundaries of the robotic space. This result can be used to identify a robust structural design with enough clearance for most robotic actions. Then, immediately before an operation, physics engine simulation is used to optimize the waypoints of the robotic arm movement to further eliminate the collision possibility given the established structural design and robotic specifications. The proposed method was tested with a simulated pipe skid installation task. The result showed that the proposed method helped strike a balance between a safe-tolerant design and robotic planning on site and thus is more suited for future robot applications with no prior knowledge about the work envelope specifications.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies (https://osf.io/jcz2y/).
Acknowledgments
This material is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grants 2024784 and 2128895 and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Grant 80NSSC21K0815. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the NSF or NASA.
References
Aristidou, A., and J. Lasenby. 2009. Inverse kinematics: A review of existing techniques and introduction of a new fast iterative solver. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ.
Aristidou, A., J. Lasenby, Y. Chrysanthou, and A. Shamir. 2018. “Inverse kinematics techniques in computer graphics: A survey.” Comput. Graphics Forum 37 (6): 35–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.13310.
Bajcsy, A., S. L. Herbert, D. Fridovich-Keil, J. F. Fisac, S. Deglurkar, A. D. Dragan, and C. J. Tomlin. 2019. “A scalable framework for real-time multi-robot, multi-human collision avoidance.” In Proc., 2019 Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 936–943. New York: IEEE.
Bengel, M., K. Pfeiffer, B. Graf, A. Bubeck, and A. Verl. 2009. “Mobile robots for offshore inspection and manipulation.” In Proc., 2009 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 3317–3322. New York: IEEE.
Ben-Haim, Y. 2006. Info-gap decision theory: Decisions under severe uncertainty. Burlington: Elsevier.
Bock, T., and T. Linner. 2016. Construction robots: Volume 3: Elementary technologies and single-task construction robots. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bohigas, O., M. Manubens, and L. Ros. 2012. “A complete method for workspace boundary determination on general structure manipulators.” IEEE Trans. Rob. 28 (5): 993–1006. https://doi.org/10.1109/TRO.2012.2196311.
Bonev, I. A., and J. Ryu. 2001. “A new approach to orientation workspace analysis of 6-DOF parallel manipulators.” Mech. Mach. Theory 36 (1): 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0094-114X(00)00032-X.
Bragança, S., E. Costa, I. Castellucci, and P. M. Arezes. 2019. “A brief overview of the use of collaborative robots in industry 4.0: Human role and safety.” In Vol. 202 of Occupational and environmental safety and health. Studies in systems, decision and control. Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14730-3_68.
Buss, S. R. 2004. “Introduction to inverse kinematics with Jacobian transpose, pseudoinverse and damped least squares methods.” IEEE J. Rob. Autom. 17 (1–19): 16.
Canutescu, A. A., and R. L. Dunbrack Jr. 2003. “Cyclic coordinate descent: A robotics algorithm for protein loop closure.” Protein Sci. 12 (5): 963–972. https://doi.org/10.1110/ps.0242703.
Chen, H., S. Stavinoha, M. Walker, B. Zhang, and T. Fuhlbrigge. 2014. “Opportunities and challenges of robotics and automation in offshore oil & gas industry.” Intell. Control Autom. 5 (3): 136–145. https://doi.org/10.4236/ica.2014.53016.
Craig, J. J. 2009. Introduction to robotics: Mechanics and control, 3/E. India: Pearson Education India.
Danaei, B., N. Karbasizadeh, and M. T. Masouleh. 2017. “A general approach on collision-free workspace determination via triangle-to-triangle intersection test.” Rob. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 44 (Apr): 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2016.08.013.
Delgado, J. M. D., L. Oyedele, A. Ajayi, L. Akanbi, O. Akinade, M. Bilal, and H. Owolabi. 2019. “Robotics and automated systems in construction: Understanding industry-specific challenges for adoption.” J. Build. Eng. 26 (Nov): 100868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100868.
Dritsas, S., and G. S. Soh. 2019. “Building robotics design for construction.” Constr. Rob. 3 (1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-018-0010-1.
Du, J., Y. Shi, C. Mei, J. Quarles, and W. Yan. 2016. “Communication by interaction: A multiplayer VR environment for building walkthroughs.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress 2016, 2281–2290, Reston, VA: ASCE.
Du, J., Y. Shi, Z. Zou, and D. Zhao. 2018a. “CoVR: Cloud-based multiuser virtual reality headset system for project communication of remote users.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 144 (2): 04017109. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001426.
Du, J., Z. Zou, Y. Shi, and D. Zhao. 2017. “Simultaneous data exchange between BIM and VR for collaborative decision making.” Comput. Civ. Eng. 2017 (Jun): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784480830.001.
Du, J., Z. Zou, Y. Shi, and D. Zhao. 2018b. “Zero latency: Real-time synchronization of BIM data in virtual reality for collaborative decision-making.” Autom. Constr. 85 (Jan): 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2017.10.009.
El-Sherbiny, A., M. A. Elhosseini, and A. Y. Haikal. 2018. “A comparative study of soft computing methods to solve inverse kinematics problem.” Ain Shams Eng. J. 9 (4): 2535–2548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2017.08.001.
FarzanehKaloorazi, M., M. T. Masouleh, and S. Caro. 2014. “Collision-free workspace of 3-RPR planar parallel mechanism via interval analysis.” In Advances in robot kinematics, 327–334. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
FarzanehKaloorazi, M., M. T. Masouleh, and S. Caro. 2017. “Collision-free workspace of parallel mechanisms based on an interval analysis approach.” Robotica 35 (8): 1747–1760. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0263574716000497.
Ferdous, W., Y. Bai, T. D. Ngo, A. Manalo, and P. Mendis. 2019. “New advancements, challenges and opportunities of multi-storey modular buildings–A state-of-the-art review.” Eng. Struct. 183 (Mar): 883–893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.01.061.
Fiorini, P., and Z. Shiller. 1998. “Motion planning in dynamic environments using velocity obstacles.” Int. J. Rob. Res. 17 (7): 760–772. https://doi.org/10.1177/027836499801700706.
Graf, B., and K. Pfeiffer. 2008. “Mobile robotics for offshore automation.” In Proc., EURON/IARP Int. Workshop on Robotics for Risky Interventions and Surveillance of the Environment. Chicago, IL: International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals.
Graf, B., K. Pfeiffer, and H. Staab. 2007. “Mobile robots for offshore inspection and manipulation.” In Proc., IPTC 2007: Int. Petroleum Technology Conf. Bunnik, Netherlands: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.
Haddadin, S., A. Albu-Schaffer, A. De Luca, and G. Hirzinger. 2008. “Collision detection and reaction: A contribution to safe physical human-robot interaction.” In Proc., 2008 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 3356–3363. New York: IEEE.
Haddadin, S., A. De Luca, and A. Albu-Schäffer. 2017. “Robot collisions: A survey on detection, isolation, and identification.” IEEE Trans. Rob. 33 (6): 1292–1312. https://doi.org/10.1109/TRO.2017.2723903.
Hart, P. E., N. J. Nilsson, and B. Raphael. 1968. “A formal basis for the heuristic determination of minimum cost paths.” IEEE Trans. Syst. Sci. Cybern. 4 (2): 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSSC.1968.300136.
Institute, A. N. S. 2012. ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 American national standard for industrial robots and robot systems—Safety requirements. Ann Arbor, MI: Robotic Industries Association.
ISO. 1998. Manipulating industrial robots—Performance criteria and related test methods. Genève: International Organization of Standards.
Jaillon, L., C.-S. Poon, and Y. H. Chiang. 2009. “Quantifying the waste reduction potential of using prefabrication in building construction in Hong Kong.” Waste Manage. 29 (1): 309–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.02.015.
Karaman, S., and E. Frazzoli. 2011. “Sampling-based algorithms for optimal motion planning.” Int. J. Rob. Res. 30 (7): 846–894. https://doi.org/10.1177/0278364911406761.
Kenwright, B. 2012. “Inverse kinematics—Cyclic coordinate descent (CCD).” J. Graphics Tools 16 (4): 177–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/2165347X.2013.823362.
Latombe, J.-C. 2012. Robot motion planning. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Science & Business Media.
Lee, D., N. Ku, T.-W. Kim, J. Kim, K.-Y. Lee, and Y.-S. Son. 2011. “Development and application of an intelligent welding robot system for shipbuilding.” Rob. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 27 (2): 377–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2010.08.006.
Lempert, R. J. 2003. Shaping the next one hundred years: New methods for quantitative, long-term policy analysis. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Long, P., T. Fan, X. Liao, W. Liu, H. Zhang, and J. Pan. 2018. “Towards optimally decentralized multi-robot collision avoidance via deep reinforcement learning.” In Proc., 2018 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 6252–6259. New York: IEEE.
Luenberger, D. G., and Y. Ye. 1984. Linear and nonlinear programming. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Mainprice, J., and D. Berenson. 2013. “Human-robot collaborative manipulation planning using early prediction of human motion.” In Proc., 2013 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 299–306. New York: IEEE.
Meredith, M., and S. Maddock. 2005. “Adapting motion capture data using weighted real-time inverse kinematics.” Comput. Entertainment 3 (1): 5. https://doi.org/10.1145/1057270.1057281.
Merlet, J.-P. 1999. “Determination of 6D workspaces of Gough-type parallel manipulator and comparison between different geometries.” Int. J. Rob. Res. 18 (9): 902–916. https://doi.org/10.1177/02783649922066646.
Mignacca, B., G. Locatelli, M. Alaassar, and D. C. Invernizzi. 2018. “We never built small modular reactors (SMRs), but what do we know about modularization in construction?” In Proc., Int. Conf. on Nuclear Engineering. New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Park, C., J. Pan, and D. Manocha. 2013. “Real-time optimization-based planning in dynamic environments using GPUs.” In Proc., 2013 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 4090–4097. New York: IEEE.
Pinosofa, A., A. Ramirez, O. S. Cortazar Cruz, Y. Ravelo, and G. Yermagaliyeva. 2010. “Unmanned offshore platforms: Automation kit.” In Proc., Trinidad and Tobago Energy Resources Conf. Dallas, TX: OnePetro.
Quade, E. S., and G. M. Carter. 1989. Analysis for public decisions. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Sciavicco, L., and B. Siciliano. 2012. Modelling and control of robot manipulators. London: Springer Science & Business Media.
Shi, Y., J. Du, E. Ragan, K. Choi, and S. Ma. 2018. “Social influence on construction safety behaviors: A multi-user virtual reality experiment.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress, 147–183. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Shukla, A., and H. Karki. 2016. “Application of robotics in offshore oil and gas industry—A review Part II.” Rob. Auton. Syst. 75 (Jan): 508–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2015.09.013.
Sisbot, E. A., and R. Alami. 2012. “A human-aware manipulation planner.” IEEE Trans. Rob. 28 (5): 1045–1057. https://doi.org/10.1109/TRO.2012.2196303.
Skourup, C., J. Pretlove, N. Stembridge, and M. Svenes. 2008. “Enhanced awareness for offshore teleoperation.” In Proc., Intelligent Energy Conf. and Exhibition. Dallas, TX: OnePetro.
Snyman, J., L. Du Plessis, and J. Duffy. 2000. “An optimization approach to the determination of the boundaries of manipulator workspaces.” J. Mech. Des. 122 (4): 447–456. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1289388.
Suita, K., Y. Yamada, N. Tsuchida, K. Imai, H. Ikeda, and N. Sugimoto. 1995. “A failure-to-safety ‘Kyozon’ system with simple contact detection and stop capabilities for safe human-autonomous robot coexistence.” In Proc., 1995 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 3089–3096. New York: IEEE.
Takakura, S., T. Murakami, and K. Ohnishi. 1989. “An approach to collision detection and recovery motion in industrial robot.” In Proc., 15th Annual Conf. of IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, 421–426. New York: IEEE.
Tam, V. W., C. M. Tam, S. Zeng, and W. C. Ng. 2007. “Towards adoption of prefabrication in construction.” Build. Environ. 42 (10): 3642–3654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.10.003.
Tan, Y., Y. Song, X. Liu, X. Wang, and J. C. Cheng. 2017. “A BIM-based framework for lift planning in topsides disassembly of offshore oil and gas platforms.” Autom. Constr. 79 (Jul): 19–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2017.02.008.
Van den Berg, J., M. Lin, and D. Manocha. 2008. “Reciprocal velocity obstacles for real-time multi-agent navigation.” In Proc., 2008 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 1928–1935. New York: IEEE.
Walker, W. E., R. J. Lempert, and J. H. Kwakkel. 2013. “Deep uncertainty.” In Encyclopedia of operations research and management science. 3rd ed., edited by S. Gass and M. Fu. Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1153-7.
Wang, L.-C., and C.-C. Chen. 1991. “A combined optimization method for solving the inverse kinematics problems of mechanical manipulators.” IEEE Trans. Rob. Autom. 7 (4): 489–499. https://doi.org/10.1109/70.86079.
Wang, Z., S. Ji, Y. Li, and Y. Wan. 2010. “A unified algorithm to determine the reachable and dexterous workspace of parallel manipulators.” Rob. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 26 (5): 454–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2010.02.001.
Welman, C. 1993. “Inverse kinematics and geometric constraints for articulated figure manipulation.” Theses, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser Univ.
Więckowski, A. 2017. “‘JA-WA’-A wall construction system using unilateral material application with a mobile robot.” Autom. Constr. 83 (Nov): 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2017.02.005.
Yang, X., H. Wang, C. Zhang, and K. Chen. 2010. “A method for mapping the boundaries of collision-free reachable workspaces.” Mech. Mach. Theory 45 (7): 1024–1033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2010.02.002.
Zhang, S., Z. Li, Y. Wang, and Z. Zhang. 2020. “Design on the inner wall crawling and inspecting robot for offshore platform leg.” Recent Pat. Mech. Eng. 13 (2): 109–117. https://doi.org/10.2174/2212797613666200117121403.
Zhou, T., Q. Zhu, and J. Du. 2020. “Intuitive robot teleoperation for civil engineering operations with virtual reality and deep learning scene reconstruction.” Adv. Eng. Inf. 46 (Oct): 101170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2020.101170.
Zhu, Q., J. Du, Y. Shi, and P. Wei. 2021. “Neurobehavioral assessment of force feedback simulation in industrial robotic teleoperation.” Autom. Constr. 126 (Jun): 103674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103674.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 10 • October 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 25, 2022
Accepted: May 19, 2022
Published online: Aug 11, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jan 11, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Automation and robotics
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Construction methods
- Continuum mechanics
- Design (by type)
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Infrastructure
- Kinematics
- Kinetics
- Modular structures
- Motion (dynamics)
- Pipeline systems
- Pipes
- Solid mechanics
- Structural design
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Systems engineering
- Uncertainty principles
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.
Cited by
- Hongrui Yu, Vineet R. Kamat, Carol C. Menassa, Cloud-Based Hierarchical Imitation Learning for Scalable Transfer of Construction Skills from Human Workers to Assisting Robots, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 10.1061/JCCEE5.CPENG-5731, 38, 4, (2024).
- Sungboo Yoon, Jinsik Park, Moonseo Park, Changbum R. Ahn, A Deictic Gesture-Based Human-Robot Interface for In Situ Task Specification in Construction, Computing in Civil Engineering 2023, 10.1061/9780784485224.054, (445-452), (2024).
- Zhen Lei, Mohammed Sadiq Altaf, Zhuo Cheng, Hexu Liu, Shengxian Tang, Measurement of Information Loss and Transfer Impacts of Technology Systems in Offsite Construction Processes, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-13637, 149, 9, (2023).