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。从手动到自动操作的转变，特别是在大型和现代化的建筑工地，可以提高生产率，减少致命事故，解决严重的劳动力短缺问题。 城市建设是一个特别具有挑战性的部门，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，因此需要采用先进的自主控制和传感技术来提高生产力和安全性。挖掘机是用于城市建设的最具代表性的设备，因为它可以精确地操作主要的城市建设任务，包括水管和电缆的安装，并且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。虽然有各种方法来提高挖掘机的操作性能，但由于其高度复杂性，很少有研究集中在城市工地的建筑设备的自主操作上。因此，本研究将结合控制、传感和安全的角度，探讨使用自动挖掘机进行城市建设的综合技术解决方案，以实现生产率最大化和有效的安全管理。 拟议研究的技术目标包括：（1）开发城市自主挖掘所需的“地下三维地形探测”和“基于土壤相互作用的跟踪控制/最佳路径规划”的新方法;（2）为工人-机器相互作用和基础设施保护提供“预测性”和“自适应”安全战略。通过实现上述目标，这项研究将产生一个独特的技术框架，自主城市建设，并大大有助于提高生产力和质量，减少致命事故和基础设施的破坏，在加拿大建筑业。此外，它将为最近因人口老龄化而出现的劳动力短缺提供补救措施。该项目的科学和工程研究成果还将推动采矿、农业、救援和国防等极具潜力的应用，从而增强恶劣和复杂环境中自主系统的监测、控制和安全功能。该计划将为HQP培训提供一个独特的场所，在理论知识和实践技能之间取得平衡，这些技能是为下一代自主建筑设备开发尖端技术所必需的。最后，该计划将保证为代表性不足的群体提供包容性和公平的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.