Integrated Technical Solutions for Urban Construction Using Autonomous Excavators

由于建筑业是一个需要大量劳动力的工业部门，工人通常处于恶劣和危险的环境条件下，因此生产率和安全是需要考虑的关键因素。从手工操作向自主操作的转变，特别是在更大和更现代化的建筑工地，可以解决提高生产率、减少致命事故和解决严重劳动力短缺的问题。 由于环境限制、碰撞事故和地面设施损坏的风险以及化学危害，城市建设是一个特别具有挑战性的部门，因此它需要采用复杂的自主控制和传感技术来提高生产率和安全性。挖掘机是城市建设中最具代表性的设备，因为它可以准确地操作主要的城市建设任务，包括安装水管和电缆，其结构允许将最先进的技术应用于机器人操作，以提出一种新的框架，可以提高建筑设备的自主操作。虽然已经有各种方法来提高挖掘机的作业性能，但由于其高度的复杂性，很少有研究集中于城市场地施工设备的自主操作。因此，本研究将结合控制、传感和安全的角度，研究利用自动挖掘机进行城市建设的综合技术解决方案，以最大限度地提高生产率和有效的安全管理。 拟议研究的技术目标包括1)开发城市自主挖掘所需的地下3D地形探测和基于土壤相互作用的跟踪控制/最优路径规划的新方法；2)为人机交互和基础设施保护提供预测性和适应性的安全策略。 通过实现上述目标，这项研究将为自主城市建设产生一个独特的技术框架，并为提高加拿大建筑业的生产率和质量以及减少致命事故和基础设施破坏做出重大贡献。此外，它还将为最近人口老龄化导致的劳动力短缺提供补救措施。该计划的科学和工程成果还将促进采矿、农业、救援和国防等高潜力应用，这些应用可以增强恶劣和复杂环境中自主系统的监测、控制和安全功能。拟议的计划将提供一个专门的HQP培训场所，平衡理论知识和实践技能，这些技能是为下一代自主建筑设备开发尖端技术所需的。最后，该计划将保证对代表不足的群体进行包容性和公平的HQP招聘。

Since construction is an industrial sector where a large amount of labor is required and workers are usually under harsh and hazardous environmental conditions, productivity and safety are key factors to be considered. The transformation from manual to autonomous operation, especially in larger and modern construction sites, can be a solution to improve productivity, to reduce fatal accidents, and to solve the problem of acute labor shortages. Urban construction is a particularly challenging sector due to environmental restriction, risk of collision accidents and damage to ground utilities, and chemical hazards, and thus it requires the adoption of sophisticated autonomous control and sensing technologies to improve productivity and safety. An excavator is the most representative equipment used for urban construction since it permits accurate operations for major urban construction tasks including installation of water pipe and cables, and its structure allows for applying state-of-the-art technologies in robotic manipulation to propose a new framework that can improve autonomous operation of construction equipment. Although there have been various approaches to enhance the operational performance of excavators, very little research has focused on autonomous operation of construction equipment for urban sites due to its high level of complexity. Therefore, this study will investigate integrated technical solutions for urban construction using autonomous excavators by combining the perspectives of control, sensing, and safety for maximization of productivity and effective safety management. The technical objectives of the proposed study include 1) to develop new methods for underground 3D-terrain detection' and soil-interaction based tracking control/optimal path planning' required for urban autonomous excavation; 2) to provide predictive' and adaptive' safety strategies for worker-machine interaction and protection of infrastructure. By achieving the above objectives, this research will generate a unique technical framework for autonomous urban construction, and contribute significantly to increasing productivity and quality and to reducing fatal accidents and infrastructure damage in the Canadian construction industry. In addition, it will provide a remedy for recent labor shortages arising from the aging population. Scientific and engineering findings from this program will also give a boost to highly potential applications such as mining, agriculture, rescue, and defense, which can enhance monitoring, control, and safety functions for autonomous systems in harsh and complex environments. The proposed program will offer an exclusive venue for HQP training balanced between theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are required to develop cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of autonomous construction equipment. Finally, this program will guarantee inclusive and equitable HQP recruitment for under-represented groups.