ROBOTICS AND CONSTRUCTION DR K M SONICHIEF ENGINEER, WZI, CPWD, MUMBAI

RobotA robot is a

mechanical or virtual agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry.

A welding Robot

(en.wikipedia.org)

TYPE OF ROBOTSAutonomousSemi

autonomousHumanoidsIndustrialSwarmNano

(www.emaze.com)

Autonomous Robots Robots that can perform with a high

degree of, autonomy which is particularly desirable in fields such as space exploration , cleaning floors, mowing lawns etc.

A fully autonomous robot has the ability to

Gain information about the environment (Rule #1)

Work for an extended period without human intervention (Rule #2)

Move either all or part of itself throughout its operating environment without human assistance (Rule #3).

Avoid situations that are harmful to people, property, or itself unless those are part of its design specifications (Rule #4)

(en.wikipedia.org)

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTAn industrial robot is

defined by as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes.

Typical applications of robots include welding , painting, assembly, pick and place (such as packaging, palletizing), product inspection, and testing. (en.wikipedia.org)

SWARM ROBOTSCoordination of

multi-robot systems which consist of large numbers of mostly simple physical robots. It is supposed that a desired collective behaviour emerges from the interactions between the robots and interactions of robots with the environment

(en.wikipedia.org)

NANO ROBOTSRobots whose components

are at or close to the scale of a nanometer (10−9meters).

 useful applications of nanomachines might be in medical technology, which could be used to identify and destroy cancer cells. Another potential application is the detection of toxic chemicals, and the measurement of their concentrations, in the environment

(www.spectrum.ieee.org)

TYPE OF ROBOTS BASED ON MOBILITY

FIXED ROBOTS

MOBILE ROBOTS

TYPE OF ROBOTSMANUFATURING

ROBOTSSERVICE ROBOTS

◦A service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations. (www.fujitsu.com)

TYPE OF ROBOTS BASED ON APPLICATIONSFACTORY ROBOTSMILITARY ROBOTSHEALTHCARE ROBOTSRESEARCH ROBOTSENTERTAINMENT

ROBOTSGENERAL PURPOSE

ROBOTSMINING ROBOTSDOMESTIC ROBOTSCONSTRUCTION ROBOTS

(www.igcseict.info)

CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN ROBOTS

MobilityProgrammabilitySensorsMechanical capability and Flexibility

(www.tms.org)

Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics

Law Zero: A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

First Law: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

MAIN FEATURES OF ROBOTS Sensors: active and passive

optical and radar vision, acoustic, ultrasonic, RF, microwave, touch, etc.

Effectors: propellers, wheels, tracks, legs, hybrids

Control system architecture: deliberative, reactive, hybrid

Command, control, and communications systems: cable, fiber optic, RF, laser, acoustic

Human/machine interfaces: displays, telepresence, virtual reality

(www.jacobstoller31.blogspot.com)

AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTSIn the automobile

industry, robotic arms are used in diverse manufacturing processes including assembly, spot welding, arc welding, machine tending, part transfer, laser processing, cutting, grinding, polishing, testing, painting and dispensing. Robots have proved to help automakers to be more agile, flexible and to reduce production lead times.

(www.news.frbiz.com)

used in medicine because they are highly precision machines. By tooling with surgical instruments, they have been used in the field of robotic surgery to perform closed-chest, beating-heart surgery. The first generation of surgical robots aren't true autonomous robots that can perform surgical tasks on their own, but they are lending a mechanical helping hand to surgeons. These machines still require a human surgeon to operate them and input instructions. Remote control and voice activation are the methods by which these surgical robots are controlled.

Medical Robots

(lifemag.org)

Military Robots Military robots are capable of replacing humans to

perform many, if not most combat functions on the battlefield. Military robots may look like vehicles, airplanes, insects or animals or other objects in an attempt to camouflage or to deceive the adversary. Remarkable success has been achieved with unmanned aerial vehicles like the Predator drone, which are capable of taking surveillance photographs, and even accurately launching missiles at ground targets, without a pilot. On the ground, robots have been deployed as mine sweepers and for bomb disposal.

(enwikipedia.org)

MILITARY ROBOTICS Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws are

insufficient (especially for military) A robot may not injure a

human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm

A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

(popularmechanics.com)

Space RobotsSpace robotics is

generally divided into two main areas: robotic manipulators - such devices are deployed in space or on planetary surfaces to emulate human manipulation capabilities, and Robotic Rovers - they are deployed on planetary surfaces to emulate human mobility capabilities.

(www.nasa.gov)

Food & Beverage While food and beverage

applications represent a small fraction of industrial robotics installation, it is widely recognized as one of the fastest growing segments. The vast majority of robots in the Food & Beverage industry are found in the packaging area, with secondary functions such as case packing and palletizing dominating. High-speed Material Handling robotic arms and vision-guided systems are beginning to work alongside and-in many cases-instead of humans in food factories.

(www.mariani-it.com)

(www.foodengineeringmag.com)

Ship BuildingUnlike the automobile industry where

the use of robots is widespread, shipbuilding is more of a 'one-of-a-type' production. This makes efficient and cost-effective robotic implementation extremely difficult to achieve.

Construction Robots Construction robots aim to improve the efficiency of work at

construction sites. With proper planning and development, robots are used in the applications like inner pipe crawling, excavation, load transport, mining and submersion, bricklaying, earth work, foundation/steel-framework, prefabrication of reinforcement, pavement work and many others. Generally, where there are dangerous conditions or accessibility and/or space limitations that persist, robots will be used.

(www.nci.fi)

Aircraft & Aerospace Today, aircraft manufacturers are

seeking automated solutions, spurred by the need to fabricate high-performance weapon systems at lower costs, apply lean manufacturing concepts, and achieve high quality. A range of new automated and robotic production tools and technologies can be adapted to aircraft fabrication processes and methods. Painting, drilling, and composite fabrication are the best candidates for automation. Some examples of the robotics system using in the aerospace industry are: Robotic coating system (e.g. fuselage, airframe and component) and robotic water-jet coating removal.

(www.robots.com)

Industrial robotAn industrial robot

is a programmable, multi-functional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or special devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.

Applications• The general characteristics of industrial

work situations that tend to promote the substitution of robots for human labor are the following:1.Hazardous work environment for

human.2.Repetitive work cycle.3.Difficult handling for human.4.Multishift operation.

Joints and links A joint of an industrial robot is

similar to a joint in the human body: It provides relative motion between two parts of the body.

• Connected to each joint are two links, an input link and output link.

• Links are the rigid components of the robot manipulator.

• The purpose of the joint is to provide controlled relative movement between the input link and the output link.

• A robot joints are actuated using any of three possible types of drive systems:

1. Electric drive.2. Hydraulic drive.3. Pneumatic drive

Common Robot Configuration

• A robot manipulator can be divided into two sections:

A Body-and-arm assembly.

Wrist assembly• The body-and-arm of the robot

is used to position the end effector, and the robot’s wrist is used to orient the end effector.

• At the end of the manipulator’s wrist is a device related to the task that must be accomplished by the robot. The device, called an end effector, is usually either:

1. A gripper for holding a workpart, or

2. A tool for performing some process

Tools • Tools are used in

applications where the robot must perform some processing operation on the part. Examples of the tools are:

1. Spot welding gun.2. Arc welding tool.3. Spray painting gun.4. Rotating spindle for

drilling, grinding, and so forth.

5. Assembly tool (e.g. automatic screw driver)

6. Heating torch.

(spaziobelo.com.mx)

Construction Robots During the 90s the R&D activities in

the field of RAC were lead by Japan, and were focused on the development of new robotic systems (most of them teleoperated) and in the automation of existing machinery. These robots tried to automate several construction processes in the house building and the civil construction. These robots were for interior building finishing, brick layer masonry, modular industrialized building’s construction, road paver’s sensor-based guidance, excavator’s control, infrastructure inspection, tunnel and bridge construction among others.

(sourceable.net)

Construction RobotsIn the group of civil infrastructure the

examples are road pavers’ sensor-based guidance, earthmoving control and infrastructure inspection. In the group of housing the examples are interior building finishing, brick layer masonry, column welding, modular industrialized building’s construction.

(synergypositioning.co.nz)

Applications Interior-finishing operations in the

building are very time consuming and requires high degree of accuracy. There are several mobile manipulators able to perform variety of operations like extend, compact and control the thickness of the floor concrete, painting and steel column fire protection spraying, assembly of interior walls and ceilings, etc.

An effort had been done in the brick laying masonry and the development of robotic prefabrication of façade and wall elements.

these robots are tele-operated and perform only simple operations.

Welding The assembly of steel-based buildings is performing by

welding, such as column-to-column and column-to-beam joints. The mobile robot performs a variety of column-to-column welding. The steel columns of up to 100 mm thickness can be round-, square-, or H-shaped, as well as box-sectional members. For column-to-beam welding, there is a combination of welder/transport type which can run on decks and a type which can weld lower flanges from below.

(www.600496.com)

Construction robots(uproxx.com)

(masterbuilder.co.in)(www.bdcnetwork.com)

(www.enr.com)

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS OF NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS

operation and maintenance of industrial nuclear facilities and laboratories,

maintenance in nuclear reactors,

decommissioning and dismantling nuclear facilities, and

emergency intervention.

(www.pennenergy.com)

Maintenance of highways

highway integrity management (crack sealing, pothole repair) & highway marking management (pavement marker replacement, paint re-striping)

highway debris management (litter bag pickup, on road refuse collection, hazardous spill cleanup, snow removal)

highway signing management (sign and guide marker washing, roadway advisory) & highway work zone management (automatic warning system, lightweight movable barriers, automatic cone placement and retrieval)

highway landscaping management (vegetation control, irrigation control)

(www.theconstructionindex.co.uk)

Railways The railway maintenance

shops are the most common location of robots, which perform activities such as welding, grinding, cleaning, and painting, inspections etc.

(vision-systems.com)

Power Line MaintenanceOther related

work in this area includes teleoperated system for live-line inspections & maintenance

for automatic washing and brushing of polluted electric insulators.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Aircraft Servicing

Underwater facilities Teleoperated robots are widely

used to maintain facilities beneath the surface of the ocean, mainly in service of the offshore oil industry. Specific applications include repairing communications cables, pipelines, well heads, and platforms. Teleoperators have also been deployed to clean marine growth from power plant cooling systems , to inspect and clean steam generators, perform underwater construction, and to inspect and repair water conveyance tunnels.

(ztnet.com)

House keeping operations

(goodhousekeeping.co.uk)(web-japan.org)

CONCRETE RECYCLING

(www.bdcnetwork.com)

INSPECTIONSMelbourne Water has developed an artificial

intelligence(the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs) based sewer condition monitoring and inspection system to meet all operational requirements of full scale use in a host of sewer -pipe types and underground conditions. The system uses a telerobotically operated in-pipe crawler vehicle with vision, acoustic and laser scanner.

Traditionally, large sewers are inspected directly by staff who walk their length, have limited reliability and consistency , due to lapses of operator concentration , operator inexperience, and the difficulty of deducing pipe condition from a 2D video image and are exposed to poisonous gases, biological hazards, and the risk of flash flooding in operating sewers.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND PHYSICAL TESTINGThe Hamersley Iron organisation in Western

Australia has developed a multi -functional, fully robotised, on-site materials testing laboratory for the industrial quality control of bulk excavated materials. The systems allows automatic crushing and sampling of bulk materials and the physical and chemical testing of samples. Full sample sieve analyses with accompanying complex testing such as such as sample weighing, oven drying and various types of chemical analysis are possible. The remote on-site testing facility is monitored operationally from a manned laboratory some 5 kilometres away .

Underwater Robot for Dam Inspections

The underwater robot can be used to inspect submerged structures when depth, turbidity or strong currents make it too risky for humans

A Robot for Inspecting LiveTransmission Lines

this acrobatic robot is able to function in places that line workers have difficulty reaching. It can run along the ground wire, individual conductors or bundled conductors. Through its camera, line crews can thus conduct detailed and highly precise inspections of live transmission lines, safely and without compromising grid operation.

Advantages of robots in construction

Improvement in work quality

Consistency and accuracy

Reduction of labour cost

Savings accrued on safety and health improvements

Time savingsImprovement in

productivityHuman safety

DisadvantagesRobot mobility only for

which it is programmedWeight and size of

robotsRobot accuracy for

limited dutiesRobot operation and

maintenanceUnemploymentCostlydependence

LIMITATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION

The nature of the work environment, which is highly unstructured in general involving handling heavy objects,

Big tolerances, Low level of standardization, medium

level of industrialization and pre-fabrication,

Non-coordination between architects, builders, suppliers, etc.

Why Robotics Knowledge To have a knowledge for global competitionTo meet challenges of repair, maintenance

and dismantling of skyscrapers To inspect, repair, maintain and dismantle

nuclear installations and highly toxic chemical installations

To meet challenges of military advancements

To inspect, repair, maintain and construction of tunnels, mining structures, deep sewers, water structures etc.

The Robotics industry is more important in Japan than any other country in the world. Japan employs over a quarter of a million industrial robot workers. In the next 15 years, Japan estimates that number to jump to over one million and they expect revenue for robotics to be near $70 billion by 2025.

In the hospitals, they may provide help for the elderly, they may be play-friends for children.

As an office receptionist, a security guards, even a primary school teacher and even dancers

 As a domestic helper,Mechanical toys.Industrial robots

India developing robotic soldiers to replace humans in warfare (PTI Jun 10, 2013, 09.04AM IST)

In India a few research groups have been working in the development of robots but a break through is yet to be made in the field of robots for large-scale industrial application. The groups working on robotics include Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), the Central Machine Tools Institute (CMIT), the IIT, Madras, the IISc and the Hyderabad Science Society, Hyderabad.

BEL was the first Indian Industry to introduce an indigenously developed robot in its production line, a Tick and Place' type with a three- axis movement.

The Hyderabad Science Society developed a robot with the ability to move about using ultrasonic sensors which could be used in industries involving health hazards, such as spraying chemical and nuclear plants.

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Indian Scenario

SOME APPLICATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION

Repetitive works like fabrication of large panels, stacking, and their installation etc.

Construction of modular houses. Fabrication of components and construction of Pre-

Engineered buildings. Welding and fabrication of steel structures. Repair and maintenance of skyscrapers, particularly

outer facade. Dismantling of old buildings. Removal of debris after disasters and sensing live

human bodies Fire protection and extinguishing in skyscrapers. Making building blocks of large sizes and their

placement Repair and maintenance of nuclear stations. Desilting of drains, water supply lines, sewer lines and

other service lines.