CONCERT: a Modular Reconfigurable Robot for Construction

2025-04-07

AI Summary

To address the demand for multi-task collaborative operations on construction sites, this paper proposes a fully modular, reconfigurable collaborative robot system with high power density. Methodologically, it employs embedded ID coding and parameter self-identification to enable automatic topology recognition and real-time updates of kinematic and dynamic parameters; a ROS-based dynamic configuration software stack supports plug-and-play replacement of end-effectors and active/passive modules. The work innovatively overcomes the limitations of fixed configurations, achieving field reconfiguration in under ten minutes and autonomous cross-task switching for the first time. Four heterogeneous tasks—drilling, sanding, plastering, and cooperative material handling—were successfully validated in real-world construction environments. The system demonstrates an extensive workspace, high payload capacity, and superior robustness, enabling a unified platform to cover diverse operational scenarios.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Replanning and Plan Repair
• Computer Vision: Vision for Robotics & Autonomous Driving

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and multi-modal RAG

Abstract

This paper presents CONCERT, a fully reconfigurable modular collaborative robot (cobot) for multiple on-site operations in a construction site. CONCERT has been designed to support human activities in construction sites by leveraging two main characteristics: high-power density motors and modularity. In this way, the robot is able to perform a wide range of highly demanding tasks by acting as a co-worker of the human operator or by autonomously executing them following user instructions. Most of its versatility comes from the possibility of rapidly changing its kinematic structure by adding or removing passive or active modules. In this way, the robot can be set up in a vast set of morphologies, consequently changing its workspace and capabilities depending on the task to be executed. In the same way, distal end-effectors can be replaced for the execution of different operations. This paper also includes a full description of the software pipeline employed to automatically discover and deploy the robot morphology. Specifically, depending on the modules installed, the robot updates the kinematic, dynamic, and geometric parameters, taking into account the information embedded in each module. In this way, we demonstrate how the robot can be fully reassembled and made operational in less than ten minutes. We validated the CONCERT robot across different use cases, including drilling, sanding, plastering, and collaborative transportation with obstacle avoidance, all performed in a real construction site scenario. We demonstrated the robot's adaptivity and performance in multiple scenarios characterized by different requirements in terms of power and workspace. CONCERT has been designed and built by the Humanoid and Human-Centered Mechatronics Laboratory (HHCM) at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in the context of the European Project Horizon 2020 CONCERT.

Problem

• Develops a modular reconfigurable robot for construction tasks
• Enables rapid kinematic structure changes for diverse operations
• Validates robot performance in real construction site scenarios

Innovation

• Modular reconfigurable robot for construction
• High-power density motors enable versatility
• Automatic software pipeline updates robot parameters