NRI: FND: Investigating the Safety Challenges of Co-drones in Future Construction Workplaces

无人机在建筑中的使用显著增加，使建筑行业成为无人机最快的商业采用者之一。无人机广泛应用于施工的不同阶段，从航空测绘、安全和质量监测、现场物流到结构检查和维护评估。随着建筑活动的增加，以满足不断增长的基础设施需求，预计建筑行业中人类工人和合作无人机之间的协作互动将继续快速增加。在建筑工地使用飞行机器人可能会引发新的职业安全和健康问题，必须进行调查，以避免建筑工人面临风险。在这项研究中，模拟技术将用于可视化未来的建筑工地，包括无处不在的协同无人机，并确定和评估最大限度地减少建筑工人健康和安全风险的策略。这项研究的目标是探索建筑工人在建筑工地上与合作无人机合作工作的健康和安全影响。该项目的具体目标是：（1）识别和评估在不同操作条件下与建筑工地中的协同无人机操作相关的致命和非致命物理风险，（2）实证评估协同无人机对工人注意力分配的影响（例如，视觉、听觉和认知干扰）和身体平衡控制性能，以及（3）经验性地评估心理影响（例如，急性压力、认知和感官超负荷以及负面情绪状态）。模拟和虚拟现实技术将用于实现该项目的目标。从访谈、自我报告问卷、多种类型的基于摄像头的系统、可穿戴生物传感器和地面反作用力测量系统中获得的定量和定性指标的组合将用于评估无人机对健康和安全的影响。从人类行为建模的角度来看，该项目将引出有关无人机环境中自然人类行为的基本知识，并推进人与无人机交互的基本知识。此外，该研究的结果将有助于正式制定建筑中无人机使用的全面法规，并导致无人机和无人驾驶航空系统的有效设计，以满足建筑的特定需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The use of drones in construction has increased significantly, making the construction industry one of the fastest commercial adopters of drones. Drones are widely used through different phases of construction, from aerial mapping, safety and quality monitoring and site logistics to structural inspection and maintenance assessment. With the predicted increase in construction activity to address growing infrastructure needs, it is expected that collaborative interactions between human workers and co-drones in the construction industry will continue to increase rapidly. The use of flying robots in construction jobsites potentially raises new occupational safety and health issues that must be investigated to avoid putting construction workers at a risk. In this study, simulation techniques will be used to visualize future construction sites that include ubiquitous co-drones and to identify and evaluate strategies for minimizing risks to the health and safety of construction workers. The goal of this study is to explore the health and safety implications of having construction crews work collaboratively with co-drones on construction jobsites. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) identify and evaluate the fatal and non-fatal physical risks associated with the operation of co-drones in construction sites under different operating conditions, (2) empirically evaluate the effects of co-drones on workers’ attentional allocation (e.g., visual, auditory, and cognitive distractions) and physical balance control performance in construction sites, and (3) empirically evaluate the psychological impacts (e.g., acute stress, cognitive and sensory overload, and negative emotional states) of workers working with co-drones. Simulation and virtual reality techniques will be employed to achieve the objectives of the project. A combination of quantitative and qualitative measures obtained from interviews, self-reported questionnaires, and multiple types of camera-based systems, wearable biosensors, and ground reaction force measurement systems will be used to assess the health and safety impact of co-drones. From a human behavior modeling perspective, the project will elicit fundamental knowledge about natural human behavior in drone-populated environments and advance fundamental knowledge of human-drone interaction. Moreover, the findings of the study will help in formalizing comprehensive regulations for drone use in construction and lead to the efficient design of drones and unmanned aerial systems to satisfy construction-specific needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.