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邻近监测方法，以提高挖掘机操作员的空间意识和决策能力。被调查的想法将让挖掘机操作员坚持？看到了吗？什么地下公共设施被埋在挖掘机里？S在附近，因此有助于防止经常发生的涉及公共设施罢工的事故。还将研究如何解释和监控工作中的挖掘机？S靠近附近埋藏的资产，如果成功，将使基于知识的挖掘机实时操作和控制成为可能。研究方法将涉及在地理参考增强现实可视化、设备连接监测和几何邻近解释方面追求基础知识，以及它们对空间感知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以技能为基础的活动向以知识为基础的实践的潜在转变，从而提高建筑生产率和安全性。这将有助于实现切实的成本节约和减少对公民的潜在危险，提高美国产业的竞争力，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事业工程作为工程教育的一个专业领域来影响教育。不同的学生群体将参与研究并获得深入的技能和知识，使他们能够在研究之外的独立职业生涯中为社会做出有价值的贡献。因此，这项研究的社会效益将是：1)通过安全和有效的挖掘，可以减少建筑和地下基础设施的生命周期成本；2)对现有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.