Exploratory Study of Potential Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Construction Management Tasks
01 May 2016-Journal of Management in Engineering (American Society of Civil Engineers)-Vol. 32, Iss: 3, pp 05016001-05016001
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an exploratory case study to identify potential applications of visual assets obtained from UAVs for construction management tasks, including project progress monitoring, job site logistics, evaluating safety conditions, and quality inspections among other secondary management tasks.
Abstract: Despite studies exploring potential applications of unmanned aerial systems (UASs), the particular use and value of visual assets (photographs or video) collected with UASs for construction management tasks is not well understood. This paper presents an exploratory case study to identify potential applications of visual assets obtained from UASs for construction management tasks. The case study involved the development of a visual assets database from UAS-based images and videos collected during UAS flights at jobsites in the United States and Brazil as well as semi-structured interviews with construction project personnel. The results revealed potential applications of UASs mainly for project progress monitoring, job site logistics, evaluating safety conditions, and quality inspections among other secondary management tasks. In addition, an analysis of costs related to the use of UASs was performed. The main contribution of this case study is a better understanding of the use of UASs for construction management tasks and their regulatory and cost implications.
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TL;DR: This review paper presents the integration of the latest trend in communication technology, i.e., Internet of things (IoT) with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and discusses the major limitations and shortcomings of state-of-the-art techniques for the same purpose.
Abstract: Today people are witnessing the rapid evolvement in every area. This is because of the emerging trends in communication technology and autonomous unmanned vehicles. These trends have led us towards the high standards of health, energy, transportation, monitoring, and surveillance of huge domestic and industrial projects. Thus, this review paper presents the integration of the latest trend in communication technology, i.e., Internet of things (IoT) with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This manuscript not only reviews the use of IoT-enabled unmanned aerial vehicles for inspecting the several construction sites but also emphasizes the utilization of such IoT-enabled autonomous aerial vehicles for ensuring the health and safety measures at the site. It discusses the major limitations and shortcomings of state-of-the-art techniques for the same purpose, i.e., optimization issues in path planning, lightweight artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision algorithms, coordination in communication using IoT, and scalability of IoT network. Thus, this paper shall help the reader to explore different open research problems in-depth.
25 citations
Cites background from "Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..."
...*e use of UAVs will surely decrease this number by close and continuous monitoring of the site [69, 70]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the potentials and challenges of UAVs in supply chain management (SCM) and logistics have been examined, and a systematic literature review was performed to evaluate them.
Abstract: This study examines the potentials and challenges of drones, or unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs), in supply chain management (SCM) and logistics. A systematic literature review was performed to ...
24 citations
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: In this article, a framework for performance-based laboratory testing of Portland cement-based mixtures for construction-scale 3D printing is presented, where a printing mixture is characterized in terms of print quality, shape stability, and printability window.
Abstract: In this chapter, a framework for performance-based laboratory testing of Portland cement-based mixtures for construction-scale 3D printing is presented. In this framework, a “printing mixture” in fresh state is characterized in terms of print quality, shape stability, and printability window. Print quality is described using measures of surface quality and dimensions of printed layers. Details of two proposed test methods for evaluation of shape stability, namely layer settlement and cylinder stability, are also provided. By experimental studies of four different mixtures it is shown that inclusion of silica fume and nanoclay significantly enhances shape stability. The results of some conventional tests, as well as several proposed new test methods, are used to evaluate the performance of printing mixtures.
24 citations
TL;DR: The study sought to examine three main constructs related to the 3D mapping developed: the easiness of development, the quality of the models in accordance with the proposed use and the usefulness and limitations of the mapping for construction management purposes.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory study which aims to assess the potential use of 3D mapping of buildings and construction sites using unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery for supporting the construction management tasks.,The case studies were performed in two different residential construction projects. The equipment used was a quadcopter equipped with digital camera and GPS that allow for the registry of geo-referenced images. The Pix4D Mapper and PhotoScan software were used to generate the 3D models. The study sought to examine three main constructs related to the 3D mapping developed: the easiness of development, the quality of the models in accordance with the proposed use and the usefulness and limitations of the mapping for construction management purposes.,The main contributions of this study include a better understanding of the development process of 3D mapping from UAS imagery, the potential uses of this mapping for construction management and the identification of barriers and benefits related to the application of these emerging technologies for the construction industry.,The importance of the study is related to the initiative to identify and evaluate the potential use of 3D mapping from UAS imagery, which can provide a 3D view of the construction site from different perspectives, for construction management tasks applications, trying to bring positive contributions to this knowledge area.
24 citations
TL;DR: The paper highlights the need to adopt new approaches, as RE concepts and UAS technology to support the SPC process, in order to improve safety conditions at construction sites.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory study in order to understand the contributions of the resilience engineering (RE) concept and the use of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) technology to support the safety planning and control (SPC) process.,A case study on a construction project was conducted and involved the following steps: diagnosis of the SPC process; development of a safety monitoring protocol using UASs; and field tests to monitor safety performance using UASs and data analysis.,In terms of its theoretical contribution, this work presents a conceptual framework explaining how the RE and the UASs can contribute to the SPC process. Also, this paper provides, as a practical contribution, a protocol for safety monitoring with UASs integrated into the safety routine, highlighting the tasks that can be checked and unsafe conditions and safety/production conflicts identified through monitoring.,This study can be used to support and stimulate the construction managers who wish to adopt the RE concepts and UAS technology to improve safety management.,An efficient SPC process can improve the work conditions at construction sites, contributing with the reduction of accidents rates.,The paper highlights the need to adopt new approaches, as RE concepts and UAS technology to support the SPC process, in order to improve safety conditions at construction sites.
23 citations
References
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TL;DR: A novel control law based on computer vision for quasi-stationary flights above a planar target is presented, which uses the homography matrix computed from the information obtained from the vision system.
427 citations
"Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..." refers background in this paper
...2004), avalanche control (McCormack and Trepanier 2008), aerial assessment of road surface condition (Zhang and Elaksher 2012), bridge inspection (Metni and Hamel 2007; Morgenthal and Hallermann 2014), and safety inspection on jobsites (Irizarry et al....
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01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: The roots of all Aviation, Cold War, Hot Missions, and Unmanned UAVs Today: A Snapshot future history are explored.
Abstract: Introduction Birth of a Concept The Concept Takes Flight But For One Dissenting Vote Technical Challenge No. 2: Remote Control United Kingdom The Roots of All Aviation Reginald Denny Delbert Fahrney Cold War, Hot Missions Vietnam: The Coming of Age Israel Endeavoring to Endure Unfueled and Unmanned UAVs Today: A SnapshotFuture History Appendix A: Significant Dates in Unmanned Aviation Appendix B: Notable Personalities in Unmanned Aviation Appendix C: Notable Unmanned Aircraft Bibliography
225 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the application of UAVs for visual inspection and damage detection on civil structures is discussed and the properties of such flight systems, the factors influencing their movements and the resulting photo quality is discussed.
Abstract: This paper discusses the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for visual inspection and damage detection on civil structures. The quality of photos and videos taken by using such airborne vehicles is strongly influenced by numerous parameters such as lighting conditions, distance to the object and vehicle motion induced by environmental effects. Whilst such devices feature highly sophisticated sensors and control algorithms, specifically the effects of fluctuating wind speeds and directions affect the vehicle motion. The nature of vehicle movements during photo and video acquisition in turn affect the quality of the data and hence the degree to which damages can be identified. This paper discusses the properties of such flight systems, the factors influencing their movements and the resulting photo quality. Based on the processed data logged by the high precision sensors on the UAV the influences are studied and a method is shown by which the damage assessment quality may be quantified.
219 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this study, a small-scale aerial drone was used as a tool for exploring potential benefits to safety managers within the construction jobsite and recommendations for the required features of an Ideal Safety Inspection Drone were led.
Abstract: SUMMARY: The construction industry lags behind many others in the rate of adoption of cutting edge technologies In the area of safety management this is more so Many advances in information technology could provide great benefits to this important aspect of construction operations Innovative use of these tools could result in safer jobsites This paper discusses initial application of drone technology in the construction industry In this study, a small-scale aerial drone was used as a tool for exploring potential benefits to safety managers within the construction jobsite This drone is an aerial quadricopter that can be piloted remotely using a smart phone, tablet device or a computer Since the drone is equipped with video cameras, it can provide safety managers with fast access to images as well as real time videos from a range of locations around the jobsite An expert analysis (heuristic evaluation) as well as a user participation analysis were performed on said quadricopter to determine the features of an ideal safety inspection drone The heuristic evaluation uncovered some of the user interface problems of the drone interface considering the context of the safety inspection The user participation evaluation was performed following a simulated task of counting the number of hardhats viewed through the display of a mobile device in the controlled environment of the lab Considering the task and the controlled variables, this experimental approach revealed that using the drone together with a large-size interface (eg iPad) would be as accurate as having the safety manager with plain view of the jobsite The results of these two evaluations together with previous experience of the authors in the area of safety inspection and drone technology led to recommendations for the required features of an Ideal Safety Inspection Drone Autonomous navigation, vocal interaction, high-resolution cameras, and collaborative user-interface environment are some examples of those features This innovative application of the aerial drone has the potential to improve construction practices and in this case facilitate jobsite safety inspections
205 citations
"Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..." refers background in this paper
...2004), avalanche control (McCormack and Trepanier 2008), aerial assessment of road surface condition (Zhang and Elaksher 2012), bridge inspection (Metni and Hamel 2007; Morgenthal and Hallermann 2014), and safety inspection on jobsites (Irizarry et al. 2012)....
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06 Mar 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the vision-based control of a small UAV following a road, using only the vision measurements and onboard inertial sensors, using a control strategy stabilizing the aircraft and following the road.
Abstract: This paper describes the vision-based control of a small autonomous aircraft following a road. The computer vision system detects natural features of the scene and tracks the roadway in order to determine relative yaw and lateral displacement between the aircraft and the road. Using only the vision measurements and onboard inertial sensors, a control strategy stabilizes the aircraft and follows the road. The road detection and aircraft control strategies have been verified by hardware in the loop (HIL) simulations over long stretches (several kilometers) of straight roads and in conditions of up to 5 m/s of prevailing wind. Hardware experiments have also been conducted using a modified radio-controlled aircraft. Successful road following was demonstrated over an airfield runway under variable lighting and wind conditions. The development of vision-based control strategies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the ones presented here, enables complex autonomous missions in environments where typical navigation sensor like GPS are unavailable.
175 citations