A Shared-Autonomy Construction Robotic System for Overhead Works

TL;DR

The paper addresses overhead construction tasks that are dangerous and labor-intensive by proposing a shared-autonomy robotic system for ceiling operations. The approach integrates a mobile base with a two-stage lift and a dual-arm torso, augmented by Dynamic Gaussian Splat Mapping for dynamic scene reconstruction and Neural Configuration-Space Barriers with distributionally robust control to ensure safe teleoperation and autonomous planning. The authors demonstrate hardware and software feasibility through drilling, anchoring, and bolting tasks, and show improvements in planning efficiency and dynamic perception. This work advances practical construction robotics by enabling BVLOS teleoperation with safety guarantees in dynamic environments, moving toward real-site demonstrations.

Abstract

We present the ongoing development of a robotic system for overhead work such as ceiling drilling. The hardware platform comprises a mobile base with a two-stage lift, on which a bimanual torso is mounted with a custom-designed drilling end effector and RGB-D cameras. To support teleoperation in dynamic environments with limited visibility, we use Gaussian splatting for online 3D reconstruction and introduce motion parameters to model moving objects. For safe operation around dynamic obstacles, we developed a neural configuration-space barrier approach for planning and control. Initial feasibility studies demonstrate the capability of the hardware in drilling, bolting, and anchoring, and the software in safe teleoperation in a dynamic environment.

Figures (8)

• Figure 1: Our system performing drilling, bolting, and anchoring tasks in a laboratory setting. Video available .
• Figure 2: System overview
• Figure 3: A custom drilling end-effector assembly.
• Figure 4: Flow diagram of teleoperation using the haptic device.
• Figure 5: Experimental sites and results.