Autonomous inspection and construction of civil infrastructure using robots

With rapid population growth worldwide, there is a high demand for new construction and inspection of civil structures, which is challenged by skilled worker shortage, and by inefficient and expensive manual construction and inspection practices. Therefore, it is imperative to develop faster, more economical, and sustainable construction and inspection methods. In recent years, robotic technologies have gained attraction in automating the construction and inspection process. Modular construction using robots has shown great potential in replacing the traditional design, fabrication, and construction to the next industry standard, where higher quality control, precision design, economical transportation, faster on-site construction, less material waste, less site disturbance, and higher utilization of construction material can be achieved. Robot-aided inspection using various types of sensing and control units has shown promising results in replacing traditional manual inspection, which can reduce the cost, and improve efficiency and consistency. In this chapter, the current development of robot-aided construction and inspection methods is first reviewed. Then, a detailed methodology for robotic construction and inspection is described to provide a theoretical basis. Finally, to further demonstrate the applicability of robots in automated construction and inspection, three case studies, including automatic construction using mobile cranes, and autonomous inspection using micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), are presented. The results indicate that the use of robots with other appropriate control and sensing units can successfully achieve different desired tasks such as autonomous navigation, mapping, construction, and inspection of civil structures.