Construction Robot Vision and Arm Control for Surface Defect Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
The construction industry has been slow to adopt robotic technology due to mobility requirements and transient job locations, limiting the automation of tasks such as surface defect identification and repair.
Innovation Solution
An automated construction robot system with a mobile base, head assembly, arm assembly, and machine vision system that can scan surfaces, identify defects, and perform remedial actions like sanding, applying joint compound, and setting screws or nails, while also applying coatings, using a computational system to generate instructions for the robot's movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If robotic technology is adopted in construction, then productivity and precision are improved, but device complexity and adaptability to transient locations worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is divided into modular components including a mobile base assembly, arm assembly, head assembly, and machine vision system. This segmentation allows each module to be independently optimized and reconfigured for different construction tasks, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot system is designed with multi-functional capabilities to perform various construction tasks including surface scanning, defect identification, sanding, joint compound application, and coating application. This universality allows a single complex system to handle multiple functions that would otherwise require separate specialized robots, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If robotic technology is adopted in construction, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to transient job locations worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The robot employs dynamic positioning and navigation capabilities that allow it to adapt to transient construction locations. The mobile base assembly can be repositioned throughout the work area, and the arm assembly can dynamically adjust its position and orientation to maintain precise operation on various surfaces, thereby achieving both high precision and adaptability to changing job locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The machine vision system continuously scans and maps the work surface, providing real-time feedback to the computational system. This feedback loop enables the robot to automatically adjust its position, orientation, and operational parameters to maintain manufacturing precision across diverse and transient construction environments without requiring manual reconfiguration.
3Productivity
If automated surface processing is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple surface processing functions including sanding, joint compound application, and coating application are merged into a single head assembly. This consolidation allows the robot to perform multiple operations in sequence without requiring tool changes or multiple specialized robots, thereby improving productivity while managing device complexity through functional integration rather than multiplication of components.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated construction robot system includes: a mobile base assembly configured to be displaceable within the work area; a head assembly configured to process a work surface; an arm assembly configured to moveably-couple the head assembly and the mobile base assembly and controllably-displace the head assembly with respect to the work surface; a machine vision system configured to scan a target area and generate target area information; and a computational system configured to: process the target area information to identify a surface defect, generate one or more remedial instructions based, at least in part, upon the surface defect identified, and manipulate one or more of the mobile base assembly, the head assembly and the arm assembly based, at least in part, upon the one or more remedial instructions.