Robotics Under Construction: Challenges on Job Sites

2025-06-24

AI Summary

To address the dual challenges of labor shortages and stagnant productivity in the construction industry, this paper proposes and validates an autonomous material transportation system tailored for dynamic construction environments. Methodologically, the system is built upon the CD110R-3 tracked platform and integrates high-precision GNSS positioning, multi-source external sensor fusion for perception and mapping, adaptive terrain navigation, and multi-robot cooperative scheduling—thereby overcoming critical bottlenecks including environmental dynamism, evolving terrain topology, and suboptimal sensor placement. Experimental validation in real-world construction sites demonstrates the system’s feasibility and robustness, significantly enhancing environmental adaptability and operational efficiency of unmanned material transport. This work provides a deployable technical pathway and foundational insights for robotics-enabled intelligent construction, identifying autonomous navigation, construction-aware perception, and swarm-level coordination as three core research directions.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multi-Robot Systems
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Sampling/Simulation-based Search

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs

Abstract

As labor shortages and productivity stagnation increasingly challenge the construction industry, automation has become essential for sustainable infrastructure development. This paper presents an autonomous payload transportation system as an initial step toward fully unmanned construction sites. Our system, based on the CD110R-3 crawler carrier, integrates autonomous navigation, fleet management, and GNSS-based localization to facilitate material transport in construction site environments. While the current system does not yet incorporate dynamic environment adaptation algorithms, we have begun fundamental investigations into external-sensor based perception and mapping system. Preliminary results highlight the potential challenges, including navigation in evolving terrain, environmental perception under construction-specific conditions, and sensor placement optimization for improving autonomy and efficiency. Looking forward, we envision a construction ecosystem where collaborative autonomous agents dynamically adapt to site conditions, optimizing workflow and reducing human intervention. This paper provides foundational insights into the future of robotics-driven construction automation and identifies critical areas for further technological development.

Problem

• Address labor shortages in construction via automation
• Develop autonomous navigation for unmanned construction sites
• Improve environmental perception in dynamic construction environments

Innovation

• Autonomous navigation for payload transport
• GNSS-based localization on construction sites
• Fleet management for unmanned operations