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Robotic Technologies for Construction and Disaster Relief
October 12, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
This presentation discusses the potential benefits and challenges of using robotic and 3D sensing technologies for harsh environments such as construction and disaster sites. Robotic technology is essential for creating spatial maps of such harsh environments for better construction progress monitoring or safe disaster relief activities. Also, autonomous robots need to process their sensed visual and geometry data in real-time for rapid decision-making in navigation and data collection planning. Robotic agents can also be remotely controlled to perform manipulation tasks for excavation and repair work in construction and disaster sites. However, it is difficult for human operators to efficiently and accurately carry out manipulation tasks through a teleoperation medium without clearly perceiving the robot’s pose and objects around it. A context-aware real-time 3D workspace modeling of remote equipment is designed to improve perception and situational awareness for efficient teleoperation. The 3D workspace modeling process includes laser scanning, automated object detection, pose estimation, and 3D visualization to provide real-time feedback to the remote operator on the teleoperation task progress. In terms of teleoperation control, this research implemented a retrofitting control system on conventional excavators to create unmanned excavator robots.