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，因此生产率和安全性是需要考虑的关键因素。从人工操作到自动操作的转变，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，并解决严重的劳动力短缺问题。由于环境限制、碰撞事故风险、地面设施损坏风险以及化学危害，城市建设是一个特别具有挑战性的领域，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。挖掘机可以精确地完成水管、电缆等主要城市建设任务，而且其结构可以应用最先进的机器人操作技术，从而提出了可以提高建筑设备自主操作的新框架，因此是最具代表性的城市建设设备。虽然已经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，很少有研究关注于城市现场施工设备的自主操作。因此，本研究将从控制、传感和安全的角度出发，探讨利用自主挖掘机进行城市建设的综合技术解决方案，以实现生产力最大化和有效的安全管理。本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”安全策略。通过实现上述目标，本研究将为自主城市建设产生独特的技术框架，并为提高生产力和质量以及减少加拿大建筑行业的致命事故和基础设施损坏做出重大贡献。此外，它还将为最近因人口老龄化而导致的劳动力短缺提供补救措施。该项目的科学和工程发现也将推动采矿、农业、救援和国防等极具潜力的应用，这可以增强在恶劣和复杂环境下自主系统的监测、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，为下一代自主施工设备开发尖端技术。最后，该计划将保证为代表性不足的群体提供包容和公平的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.