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1. System Architecture for Supporting BIM to Robotic Construction Integration

   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0968-9_18  

   McClymonds, Austin; Leicht, Robert; Asadi, Somayeh (April 2022, Proceedings Canadian Society for Civil Engineering)

   The adoption of robotics into the construction industry has been much slower than in manufacturing and industrial sectors. Current shortfalls in skilled labor, productivity trends, and ongoing safety challenges point to the need for a drastic shift toward the adoption of robotics as a component of a shift toward industrialized construction. Despite this lag, the interest and development of robotic technology targeting construction has grown in recent years, ranging from the use of drones for tracking to use in offsite fabrication. However, the integration into fundamental site construction requires reconsideration of the information technology infrastructure needed to support detailed task execution information needs in the transition from craft labor to robotic operations. This research presents the identification and mapping of the IT System Architecture required to support BIM to Robotic Construction. Combining elements of the Building Information Modeling architecture and information exchanges with the needed construction task decomposition is required. These elements are mapped to the robotic system elements required for mobile robotic operations. In addition to defining the functions and integration required to support the BIM to Robotic Construction Workflow, shortcomings in existing infrastructure, notably regarding the ability to decompose construction fabrication and assembly means and methods are defined. 

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2. Automated Constructability Assessment for Robotics in Construction: Case Study of CANVAS

   https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485262.070  

   Wang, Ziyi; Hu, Yuqing; Leicht, Robert (March 2024, American Society of Civil Engineers)

   Advances in robotics represent a potential shift in the construction industry. Construction planning is planned based on craft work; it is necessary to emphasize external factors such as construction robotics. Improving constructability can enhance design-phase construction opportunities, thereby expanding the potential scope of robot operations. However, robotics are often neglected concerning constructability. Previous studies on constructability concentrated on human-based construction methods; hence, gaps remain in assessing constructability for robotics. To minimize the barriers in robotic construction, this paper presents a method for using a rule-based framework for robotic constructability assessment checks with the help of BIM. Focusing on CANVAS—a drywall finishing robot—this paper applies a BIM-based object-oriented model integrating with ROS to utilize constructability reasoning about robotic operations. A model of rule-checking for robotics in the case study is demonstrated and tested. The availability of design information in the model containing robotics is discussed, showing the need for assessing robotics-related constructability information to support an automated review of robotic constructability assessment. This paper applies a case study to validate use of the framework for robotic constructability assessment in the design phase, leading to an automated constructability assessment of construction robotics. 

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3. Information Exchange for Supporting BIM to Robotic Construction

   https://doi.org/9780784483961  

   McClymonds, Austin; Asadi, Somayeh; Wagner, Alan; Leicht, Robert (September 2022, ASCE Construction Research Congress)

   In the past, the construction industry has been slow to adopt new technology. There has been a rapid expansion of technologies, often referred to as Industry 4.0, to aid in the use of automation. One challenge paralleling these new technologies is implementing how a robot interprets design information, specifically information from a Building Information Model (BIM). This paper presents a method for identifying and transforming information from BIM to support robotic material placement on the construction site. This research will include a review of what information can be directly extracted from the model and what must be supplemented to the model for the robot to perform defined tasks within a construction site. The construction sites’ dynamic nature poses multiple challenges that must be addressed for the information extracted from a model to be used by a robot in daily construction operations. This research also identifies barriers and limitations based upon current practice, such as different levels of development or model content as well as needed precision within the information provided for a mobile robot to complete a defined task. 

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4. Utilizing Parametric Computational Modeling to Generate Masonry Wall System to Facilitate Robotic Task Creation

   https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485262.097  

   McClymonds, Austin D; Asadi, Somayeh; Leicht, Robert M (March 2024, American Society of Civil Engineers)

   Building information modeling (BIM) technology in construction has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, and integrating robotics is seen as a natural step to improve efficiency. To increase the level of development (LOD) of a BIM model to support a construction robot, parametric modeling can be used to create highly detailed models by supplementing and defining the geometric and physical properties of the construction elements, such as the components’ size, shape, and material parameters, which are used as inputs for designing robotic tasks. Component information and data are stored as extractable parameters within the BIM model, allowing a robot to perform highly precise and repeatable tasks. This study develops a framework for implementing computational parametric modeling for masonry wall systems with Dynamo. This study tested six wall configurations constructed of 8″ × 8″ × 16″ concrete masonry units (CMUs). Dynamo successfully interpreted most wall geometries placing full-sized CMUs into the correct design locations. Errors occurred when placing partial-sized CMUs, typically at wall intersections, revealing a need for future refinement. The study shows the careful planning and considerations needed to implement computational modeling to generate model content for creating robotic tasks. 

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5. Development of a parametric modeling method for masonry wall systems to support robotic construction

   McClymonds, A. (June 2023, ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering)

   Turkan, Y. and (Ed.)

   The construction industry has undergone a technological shift. Technology advancements have made robots a topic of discussion in construction. One challenge to overcome is how the robot receives information from designed BIM models. This study describes the methods employed for parametric modeling and generating model content of wall systems in Autodesk Revit added with a Dynamo script. Coordinates are determined for components based on model geometry and dimensions. Once generated, components are placed with the required material based on wall parameters. This research develops a method to add components based on wall materials from a traditionally modeled BIM extracting information such as location, object identifier (ID), type, and orientation which is formatted to transfer to the robot based on the needs of the robotic system as a list of tasks in a comma-separated values (.CSV) file. This study details the development process and early implementation of the Dynamo script. 

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