FW-HTF-P: Interactive Multi-Human Multi-Remote-Robot Operations for the Future of Construction Work

人类技术前沿（FW-HTF-P）项目的未来工作的总体目标是为多个人类工人创建一个协作框架，以便与多个不同类型的远程建筑机器人合作。这些人机团队有可能提高运营效率和可扩展性，从而预测未来建筑行业面临的迫在眉睫的问题，包括熟练劳动力短缺、劳动力老龄化、职业安全挑战和生产力停滞不前。然而，实现最佳结果将需要在受限和复杂的建筑工作场所进行人机协作操作的新方法。考虑到建筑业在经济和社会方面的重要作用，对国家的潜在好处是巨大的。该项目开发奖的活动将包括开发一个概念验证的工人在环接口，以支持在不同工作环境和操作方案的建筑工地与行业合作伙伴进行初步研究。初步研究将得到讲习班、焦点小组、培训会议和调查的支持。该项目的预期成果包括提高工作效率、整体工作生产率、工人安全和福祉，以及招聘和吸纳包括老年工人在内的多元化劳动力。最终，该项目对建筑工程、人工智能、机器人、学习科学、劳动力培训以及建筑、工程、建筑、人文和社会科学等领域都有潜在的好处。该奖项将建立一个由学术研究人员和行业利益相关者组成的跨学科团队，深入了解多人多远程机器人（MHMRR）协作的适用性和潜力，朝着创新和互动的MHMRR协作框架的目标迈进，阿凡达建筑工人能够通过透明和可靠的现场知识转移与远程异构建筑机器人协作。为实现这一目标，将进行两个项目发展活动。首先，研究团队将建立一个工人在环MHMRR接口的原型，该接口可用于各种施工操作和不同新兴技术的集成。其次，研究团队将与建筑和技术行业的相关利益相关者建立伙伴关系，在具有代表性的现实条件选择下设计和开展MHMRR合作的初步研究。实验设计和招募更多合作伙伴将通过多种活动完成，包括讲习班、焦点小组、培训班和调查。该奖项支持的项目开发活动将形成一个综合团队，包括学术研究人员、参与的行业合作伙伴、专业研究基础设施、支持初步结果的基础，以及定制的研究议程，以推进MHMRR建设的关键领域。其结果有可能彻底改变现有的建筑行业，并为技术和劳动力瓶颈提供融合的解决方案。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 overarching goal of this Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier (FW-HTF-P) project is to create a collaboration framework for multiple human workers to team with multiple remote construction robots of various types. These human-robot teams have the potential to improve operational efficiency and scalability and thus anticipate imminent problems challenging the future of the construction industry, including a shortage of skilled labor, an aging workforce, occupational safety challenges, and stagnant productivity. However, realizing the best outcomes will require new approaches for human-robot collaborative operations in constrained and complex construction workplaces. Potential benefits to the nation are significant, given the critical economic and societal roles of the construction industry. Activities under this Project Development award will include development of a proof-of-concept worker-in-the-loop interface to support preliminary studies with industry partners at construction sites with varying work environments and operation scenarios. The preliminary studies will be supported by workshops, focus groups, training sessions, and surveys. Expected outcomes of the project include improvements to work efficiency, overall work productivity, worker safety and well-being, and recruitment and inclusion of a diverse workforce, including older workers. Ultimately the project has potential benefits for the fields of construction engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, learning sciences, and workforce training, as well as architecture, engineering, construction, and human and social science.This award will build an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers and industry stakeholders with a deep understanding of the applicability and potential of multi-human-multi-remote-robot (MHMRR) collaboration, toward the goal of an innovative and interactive MHMRR collaboration framework with Avatar Construction Workers able to collaborate with remote heterogeneous construction robots through transparent and reliable on-site knowledge transfer. Two project development activities will be conducted to achieve this goal. First, the research team will build a prototype of a worker-in-the-loop MHMRR interface that is reconfigurable for various construction operations and integration of different new and emerging technologies. Second, the research team will draw upon partnerships with relevant stakeholders in both the construction and technology industries to design and conduct preliminary studies of MHMRR collaborations under a representative selection of realistic conditions. Experimental design and recruitment of additional partners will be accomplished through multiple activities, including workshops, focus groups, training sessions, and surveys. The Project Development activities supported by this award will result in the formation of an integrated team including academic researchers, engaged industry partners, specialized research infrastructure, a foundation of supporting preliminary results, and a research agenda tailored to advancing the critical field of MHMRR for construction. The outcome has the potential to revolutionize existing construction industries and to provide convergent solutions for technical and workforce bottlenecks.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.