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Robotic deployment on construction sites: considerations for safety and productivity impact

Rafael Gomes Braga, Muhammad Owais Tahir, Ivanka Iordanova, David St-Onge

TL;DR

The paper addresses safety and productivity concerns of deploying autonomous mobile robots on construction sites. It combines a standards review, directed industry interviews, and real-world deployment of the Journeybot prototype to elucidate practical safety practices and acceptance factors. Key contributions include BIM-informed planning, predeployment testing, stakeholder engagement, and checklists that improve safety and adoption, demonstrated across diverse site conditions. The work provides transferable guidelines for safer, more productive robotic deployments in construction and offers a blueprint adaptable to other robotic platforms.

Abstract

Deploying mobile robots in construction sites to collaborate with workers or perform automated tasks such as surveillance and inspections carries the potential to greatly increase productivity, reduce human errors, and save costs. However ensuring human safety is a major concern, and the rough and dynamic construction environments pose multiple challenges for robot deployment. In this paper, we present the insights we obtained from our collaborations with construction companies in Canada and discuss our experiences deploying a semi-autonomous mobile robot in real construction scenarios.

Robotic deployment on construction sites: considerations for safety and productivity impact

TL;DR

The paper addresses safety and productivity concerns of deploying autonomous mobile robots on construction sites. It combines a standards review, directed industry interviews, and real-world deployment of the Journeybot prototype to elucidate practical safety practices and acceptance factors. Key contributions include BIM-informed planning, predeployment testing, stakeholder engagement, and checklists that improve safety and adoption, demonstrated across diverse site conditions. The work provides transferable guidelines for safer, more productive robotic deployments in construction and offers a blueprint adaptable to other robotic platforms.

Abstract

Deploying mobile robots in construction sites to collaborate with workers or perform automated tasks such as surveillance and inspections carries the potential to greatly increase productivity, reduce human errors, and save costs. However ensuring human safety is a major concern, and the rough and dynamic construction environments pose multiple challenges for robot deployment. In this paper, we present the insights we obtained from our collaborations with construction companies in Canada and discuss our experiences deploying a semi-autonomous mobile robot in real construction scenarios.
Paper Structure (13 sections, 3 figures)

This paper contains 13 sections, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. Industry Standards
  3. Insights from the industry
  4. Accessibility and acceptance
  5. Deployment Logistics, Operations & Impact on Schedule
  6. Suitability of the construction sites for robotic deployment
  7. Autonomous mobile robot prototype deployment
  8. The Robot
  9. The Fields
  10. The Logistics
  11. Preparation
  12. On site
  13. CONCLUSIONS

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Our autonomous mobile robot, Journeybot, navigating a construction site
  • Figure 2: Mobile robot platform equipped with various sensors
  • Figure 3: Journeybot in different construction sites: (a) Hospital Building, Office Floor; (b) Hospital Building, Mechanical floor; (c) Second Building, Early Construction Stage