Joseph Chaudhari
Dr. James Mitchell
AE-510
7 February 2017
B4: Why did I chose
my project topic? How is it related to Intelligent Buildings? Challenges?
The topic my team
and I agreed upon doing a research project/paper about was “Robotics Automating Construction Site
Surveying”. We, myself, Ronald Herazo, and Zhijing Zheng, chose this topic because
we felt this will/could speed up and better the entire process of site development
and construction of proposed structure. Robotic surveying systems are in place
in today’s surveying world; however, it is rare, as they are enormously
expensive, to find a surveying system that can scan an entire area and create a
three-dimensional, not two-dimensional (that already exists), product for
surveyors, designers, and engineers to look at. This three-dimensional product
that would be produced by the surveying system would be done so by means of
infrared scanners, and if need be an ultrasonic-like means of detection, and
would save crucial time in the design process of construction sites and
buildings (both on the interior and exterior). Think about it, if you were able
to look at a three-dimensional model of a room or construction site wouldn’t you
have way less questions for the surveyors or folks who sent this model to you
opposed to a two-dimensional model. Design errors and hick-ups would come down immensely.
A mobile version of this three-dimensional surveying equipment could cut even
more time out of the design process of a structure; although, this system would
have to be extraordinarily dynamic and thus be extremely expensive (we talk
about one of these mobile systems in our abstract).
How is our project
topic, robotic surveying systems on construction sites, related to intelligent buildings? Two large links connect our
project to IB. One of these links is the idea of big data. With three-dimensional
scanning an entire desired area can be accounted for. Once a model of this area
is created via infrared 3D surveying technology, it can be used in almost all
phases of design. To go a step further, if/when the 3D model is uploaded to
design software like Revit, it can be accessed by, hypothetically, all parties involved
in the construction of the structure. Once each party involved in the construction
process have access to the model, they can then update and easily ask questions
about the model if they fail to understand or are unclear on something. Not only
would the creation and uploading of a three-dimensional model (created by
robotic surveying equipment most likely using infrared scanners and sensors) shorten
meeting and project discussion time but its creation would also creative closer
links between different parties in the construction process as they would,
ideally, all be collaborating on the same model. The other link our project has
to IB would be the push our project has towards incorporating artificial
intelligence on the construction site via robotic survey systems (more advanced
and independent than the ones we already see on sites). As AI keeps creeping into
construction sites, well see faster projects and, if the AI is programmed well
enough, more efficient/ safer projects. Will AI lead to job loss? Sure, change in
industry always leaves some without jobs. However, robotic surveying systems
could be advantageous to companies that can afford to buy them and still
maintain their staff numbers as the new robotic (AI based) systems could lead
to less folk needed per job, thus giving the company the opportunity to seek
out more work and bring in more money.
Challenges with this
project idea? Challenges are around every corner and range from human error
and ignorance to malfunction of robotic systems to acts of nature where systems
are destroyed by water (I’ve seen surveying systems disappear over a matter of
hours in the North-west Indian monsoon season around July-August) or animals
(in western Gujarat, where wild lions and jaguars roam, construction can stop entirely
if the animals decide they want to “take over” the site; you can’t say no to a
pack of 12 lions). Sensors will be an issue too as they are often small and
easily broken. One of the largest issues will be costs. Some of these mobile
robotic surveying systems which can be strapped to the top of a truck can cost
upwards of 150K.
References:
1.
Almega Geosystems. Video Demo Leica Pegasus:
Two. N.p.: YouTube, n.d. Web.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pBLRnseIuQ&t=256s>.
2.
Autodeskrecap. "3D Laser Scanning Made Easy
with Autodesk ReCap 360 Ultimate." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 03
Feb. 2017.
Comments:
Ksara/Hovey: I’m
glad you confirmed that a green building is not the same thing as an
intelligent building. I think an interesting side of green buildings vs.
intelligent buildings that your project could shine some light on would be how
these two different types of building design affect the ability of a building
to become the other (go from green to IB or vice versa). I hope you include some
ways of pacifying the dread some owners may have of owning/building green or
intelligent buildings (does the government offer any tax breaks on buildings
that are green or intelligent?)
Selden: This
project is going to be awesome. I would love to live/design entirely intelligent
or “smart” homes. Sensors will definitely play an instrumental role in
achieving this type of housing. I would love to see your project include a
small blip about how these new smart design home could then have/generate a
state/nation/world-wide structural health monitoring database for all house
designs of the same scope. This could be huge in sharing deficiency related
data and keeping a real-time eye on the health of all of these structures.
Dannemann: I like
the fact that you brought up source reliability. As I am not the best coder nor
a robotics engineer, how do I know if my sources relating to AI are any good
(obviously we can make a pretty good determination on most sources)? Assessing cost
may of pieces of AI-run equipment may also prove to be difficult. I have not
yet looked directly for the costs of say a 3D surveying system but I know the
internet via is not pushing them at you trying to get you to buy them. Ease of
use will be tough to assess because it may be impossible to actually test a
system your project deals with out and every user will have a different
learning curving when it comes to AI powered systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.