GOALI: Georeferenced Visualization and Emulated Proximity Monitoring for Real Time Knowledge-Based Excavator Control

该奖项的研究目标是探索新的可视化和接近监测方法，以提高挖掘机操作员的空间意识和决策能力。调查的想法将让挖掘机操作人员坚持不懈？看到没？挖掘机里埋着什么地下设施的附近，从而有助于防止经常发生的事故，涉及公用事业罢工。方法来解释和监测工作挖掘机？还将研究挖掘机与邻近埋藏资产的接近程度，如果成功，将实现真实的基于知识的挖掘机操作和控制。该研究方法将涉及地理参考增强现实可视化，设备连接监控和几何邻近解释的基础知识的追求，以及它们对空间意识和操作员知识的整合。如果成功，这项研究的好处将包括挖掘机操作从主要基于技能的活动转变为基于知识的实践，从而提高施工生产力和安全性。这反过来将有助于实现切实的成本节约和减少对公民的潜在危害，提高美国工业的竞争力，并降低地下基础设施的生命周期成本。这项研究将通过促进地下公用工程作为工程教育的一个专业领域来影响教育。一个多元化的学生群体将参与研究，并获得密集的技能和知识，使他们能够在这项研究之外的独立职业生涯中为社会做出宝贵的贡献。因此，这项研究的社会效益将是：1）通过安全有效的挖掘，减少建筑和地下基础设施的生命周期成本; 2）对当前和未来的工程师进行有效的教育和培训; 3）参与研究的人员的职业发展。

The research objective of this award is to explore new visualization and proximity monitoring methods for improving the spatial awareness and decision-making capabilities of excavator operators. The investigated ideas will allow excavator operators to persistently ?see? what underground utilities lie buried in a digging machine?s vicinity, thus helping prevent frequently-occurring accidents involving utility strikes. Methods to interpret and monitor a working excavator?s proximity to vicinal buried assets will also be researched, which, if successful, will enable real time knowledge-based excavator operation and control. The research approach will involve the pursuit of fundamental knowledge in georeferenced augmented reality visualization, equipment articulation monitoring, and geometric proximity interpretation, and their integration for spatial awareness and operator knowledge. If successful, the benefits of this research will include the potential transformation of excavator operation from a primarily skill-based activity to a knowledge-based practice, leading to increases in construction productivity and safety. This is turn will help realize tangible cost savings and reduction of potential hazards to citizens, improvement in competitiveness of U.S. industry, and reduction in life cycle costs of underground infrastructure. The research will impact education by promoting subsurface utility engineering as an area of specialization in engineering education. A diverse group of students will participate in the research and acquire intensive skills and knowledge that will allow them to make valuable contributions to society in their independent careers beyond this research. The societal benefits of this research will thus be: 1) reductions in construction and underground infrastructure life-cycle costs that will be possible through safe and efficient excavation; 2) the effective education and training of current and future engineers; and 3) the career development of the personnel participating in the research.