FW-HTF-R: US-Ireland R&D Partnership: ARISE: Assembly and Robotics Innovation in Steel Building Erection

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This Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier Research (FW-HTF-R) grant will promote science and national health, prosperity and welfare by considering the Intermeshed Steel Connection (ISC) as new quick, snap together connection to construct buildings with the existing work force and possibly on-site robotics. The research unites micro-economists, robotics experts, and computer scientists with structural engineers and site-safety leaders in the United States, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. This tri-partite team will consider the introduction of a new structural steel connection through the multiple lenses of design, manufacturing, distribution, erection, and performance with respect to cost, safety, schedule, and sustainability metrics. The project critically considers two seminal questions: “What are the technical and human prerequisites and optimal conditions for automation of structural steel assembly in the field?” and “What is the best market entry point for such a disruptive connection?”, in light of the fundamental mismatch between the decision makers, the payees, and the beneficiaries in most large construction projects. Finally, this activity offers an innovative outreach program with broad-based technical dissemination through webinars and workshops, and educational outreach for K-12 students by means of national-level, student competitions.This grant seeks to reap the benefits from advanced manufacturing, robotic assembly, and artificial intelligence (AI) for on-site steel building erection. Automating robotic site erection requires a rethinking of educational and training systems, technology dependence, and safety due to the closer proximity and interactions between humans and machines. The micro-economics behind this new connection and erection approach will also need to be rethought with respect to economies of scale and needed skills. This will be done by developing a quantitative model of technology adoption and diffusion; identifying educational, economic, and technical needs in the structural steel sector; creating accurate, validated numerical models that characterize the non-linear behavior of ISC column-to-column connections under various load combinations; developing a knowledge base on ISC connection design and performance, including physical data for column-to-column connections; evaluating performance using a full-size building testbed; documenting safety, ergonomics, and productivity factors observed through multiple assembly and disassembly of full-size frames; identifying viable routes to on-site construction automation including the influence of high erection tolerances and use of autonomous robots equipped with cameras and AI-based perception; and using virtual reality and augmented reality to develop Computer Vision and AI training to control a Robotic Manipulator.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.