3-D Graphical Visualization for Construction Automation

THOMAS M. GATTON School of Engineering and Technology

National University 3678 Aero Court, San Diego, CA 92123

USA tgatton@nu.edu http://www.nu.edu

Abstract: - The availability of low-cost, high performance computers that are capable of real-time 3-D graphic simulation has lead to a plethora of applications in the construction industry. This technology is particularly beneficial in the design and simulation of automated construction systems. The expense of physically constructing and implementing a full-scale prototype automated construction systems has been a prohibitive factor in significant progress in this area. Computer hardware and software technologies that can perform real-time 3-D graphical simulation and visualization afford a tool that allows investigation and visual demonstration of conceptual and prototype designs, without the related expense of physical prototype construction. This paper overviews the application of 3-D graphical simulation and visualization and construction automation research and development and presents a study to apply 3-D graphical simulation in the development of a prototype automated push-up gantry robot system for automated construction. The investigation demonstrates the use of 3-D Graphical simulation as both a communication and investigative tool for proof-of-concept studies in the development of automated construction systems to demonstrate the feasibility of the push-up gantry automated construction system concept. Key-Words: - Construction automation, robotic construction, 3D graphical simulation 1 Introduction The roots of computer graphics technology can be found in the early radar systems and government projects, such as SAGE and Whirlwind [1]. This technology evolved from Ivan Sutherland’s seminal work [2] on SketchPad to the current day sophisticated capabilities and simulation of photo-realistic 3-D motion in real-time, as evident in current video gaming systems. This technology has found wide application in engineering and has extended the tools available for communicating sophisticated products and production processes. Architectural designs can now be virtually modeled, and design reviews and walk-throughs add a new and exciting dimension, beyond 2 and 3D drawings, in visualizing complex products. Manufacturing systems can also be virtually modeled and processes can be simulated and their operation demonstrated, without the expensive cost of actual manufacturing system construction. One of the areas under research and development that continues to benefit from 3D Graphic simulation is construction automation. While several automated construction systems have been built and utilized in on-site construction, the cost of building these systems is not economically competitive with existing methods, and 3D graphic simulation software provides a cost effective tool for investigating and demonstrating automated construction concepts, systems, and methods.

This paper provides an overview of 3D graphics technology and construction automation technology and demonstrates the utilization of 3D graphics technology to simulate and visualize an automated push-up gantry robot system for on-site construction. The proposed automated construction system is evaluated for future modularization and application. Also, the use of 3D graphic simulation is evaluated for suitability to this area of research and development. 2 Background The development of 3D graphics technology can be divided into hardware and software while applications of this technology include usage by both the scientific and entertainment communities. Indeed, anyone attending new movie releases, over the past few years, must be impressed with the significant progress exhibited in the computer graphics enhancements in creating pseudo-realistic worlds. As computer hardware speed and power have continued to increase along with an inversely decrease in cost, computer ownership has become widespread. With a large owner population of these inexpensive and powerful machines, software industries have kept pace with the development of 3D graphics application software capabilities to provide sophisticated tools for wide usage in the areas media and scientific research areas.

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 501 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6

A survey [3] of popular software packages available for applications in the entertainment and media industries includes: 1. 3ds max 2. Maya 3. Blender 4. Modo 5. Cinema4D 6. LightWave 7. Softimage XSI A list of popular software in the scientific and engineering communities includes: 1. SolidWorks 2. Inventor 3. AutoCAD 4. Microstation 5. CATIA 6. SketchUp 7. ProEngineer 8. Flexsim 9. SIMULIA 10. ENOVIA These list are not meant to be inclusive and it is beyond the scope of this paper to evaluate and compare software packages, as this information is available in other publications [4]. This research utilizes both AutoCAD and SolidWorks, as these packages are common in the educational, engineering and research environments. 2.1 Automation and Robotics in Construction Robotics technology has been used in construction operations, primarily in Japan, since the early 1980’s but was largely limited to existing construction operations amenable to manipulative capabilities. These applications focused on individual construction operations, such as the concrete finishing shown in Fig. 1, spraying operations, maintenance and inspection that required low manipulative accuracy [5, 6, 7]. These applications focused on automating existing construction assemblies while little research has been performed to design construction assemblies amenable to economically viable technology. Construction operations have evolved around the sensory and manipulative capabilities of humans. Machines have been developed to interface with these capabilities and have developed to be increasingly less dependent on human interaction, to accomplish their goal. The development of special purpose machines, general purpose manipulators and robotics provided high levels of automation in the manufacturing industry. The main difference between most consumer product and building projects is the size of the product. It is impossible to move the finished product through a machine assembly

Fig. 1. Concrete Finishing Robot line and the necessity for machines that can encompass a large work envelope and/or are mobile and capable of moving their work envelope to the work area introduces huge problems in construction automation. During the nineties, the research and applications focused on large scale push up systems by the major Japanese companies. Automated manufacturing concepts have been difficult to apply, due to the size of the construction product, and strategies for solving the mobility requirements have been elusive. Although technologies have been adapted, such as push up construction, as shown in Fig. 2, the overall cost for these types of technology solution has been prohibitive. More recently, innovative applications developed and include the novel “contour crafting” method [8] at the University of California, shown in Fig. 3, where a robot lays down a layer of ceramic material repetitively to construct walls. Many current studies have focused on swarm or ant colony behavior and include LEGO Mindstorm construction robots [9] and modular systems [10] for space construction applications, as shown in Fig. 4 & 5. It has become more evident to researchers that “the application of new robot technology requires the integral design of the assembly process” [11]. While specific robot systems are being developed for custom designed modular structures [12], the concepts of designing for construction automation and automated constructability are similar to those in manufacturing[13, 14]. The four approaches of applying automation and robotics technology to construction are[15]: 1. Automate existing construction systems with

available robotics technology 2. Automate existing construction systems with

custom designed robotics systems

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 502 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6

Fig. 2. Japanese Automated Push up Construction Systems - Yachiyodai

Fig. 3. Contour Crafting 3. Automate custom designed construction systems

with available robotics technology 4. Automate custom designed construction systems

with custom designed robotic systems The approach to designing for automation has its roots in Boothroyd’s work [16] and its application to construction is well documented. The methods to develop custom robotic systems has also been documented in the literature, but the value of an integrated approach of developing the system and designing for robotic assembly is just being realized. This integrated approach is taken in this research project. Self-erecting and disassembling tower cranes provide large mobile work envelopes that are critical in construction automation. These types of cranes have proven very cost effective in low and high-rise construction. However, their placement accuracy is very low, due to deflection in large members, and requires substantial human supervision, monitoring and control.

Fig. 4. LEGO Mindstorm Construction Robot

Fig. 5. Modular Robot and Building System 3 Proposed Push-up Gantry System The conceptual combination of 4 self-erecting tower cranes, is equivalent to a gantry style robot, which would provide high accuracy repeatability over a large work envelope, suitable for construction operation. This type of approach has been taken by the Japanese in push-up construction systems, but with simple winching movement in the z-axis and little consideration to construction design modification. As computers, robotics and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) have become more widespread and their cost has decreased, application of large scale robotic gantry technology presents an economically and technically viable solution for construction. A conceptual drawing of the proposed system is shown in Figure 6, below.

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 503 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6

Fig. 6. Conceptual Design for Gantry Tower Crane

Initial full scale testing is spatially and economically prohibitive and the system will first be graphically simulated, prior to development at the ¾” model scale. CNC technology is scalable and ¾” scale allows investigation and convenient system and product portability. The approach in the identification and/or modification of building system is to design prefabricated modular components designed for automated assembly by large scale manipulators capable of navigating the building structure, and able to self-assemble and disassemble, using existing climbing crane technology. The investigation will include panel, frame, modular and layered construction systems and identify construction materials and design configurations amenable, or modifiable, to assembly operation requirements that are within the manipulative capabilities of the 4-axis CNC robotic system. Robotic assembly of amenable building systems will be demonstrated. The initial scale model system configuration, as shown in Fig. 6, is anticipated to be minimally capable of performing over a 24”X36” work envelope. 3.1 System Simulation SolidWorks is used to develop a graphical model of the push-up gantry robot and its subassemblies, as shown in Figures 7-10. Notice that an articulated arm is modeled, as an extension of the original Z-axis manipulator with one degree of revolution. An alternative concept is also rapidly prototyped, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The software was then used to produce animation video clips. 4 Conclusions and Future Research The research and development plan for this project began with the conceptual design of a modular push-up gantry robot construction system. This included the

Fig. 7. 3D Graphical Gantry Tower Crane Model

Fig. 8. 3D Gantry Tower Crane Subassembly analysis of constructability features and the design of a building system with manipulative requirements amenable to a simple four-degree of freedom capability. Research and development is underway with the development of a ¾” model scale for investigation of design for automated constructability and production integration. The application of SolidWorks proved a useful tool for both concept visualization and system operation, by eliminating the requirement of actual prototype construction.

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 504 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6

Fig. 9. 3D Gantry Tower Crane Subassembly

Fig. 10. 3D Gantry Tower Crane Subassembly

Fig. 11. Alternate System Concept

Fig. 12. Alternate System Configuration References: [1] Redmond, Kent C. & Thomas M. Smith, Project

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[3] Benoît Saint-Moulin, 3D Software Comparison Chart, Nov. 7, 2007. http://www.tdt3d.be/articles_viewer.php?art_id=99,

[4] Aguiar, Adriano José Cunha de, Silva, Alex Sandro de Araújo & Villani, Emília, Graphic Robot Simulation for the Design of Work Cells in the Aeronautic Industry, ABCM Symposium Series in Mechatronics, Vol. 3, pp.346-354, 2008.

[5] Gatton, T., Robotic Mobilization Construction, Technical Report, (classified), U. S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL, November 1985.

[6] Gatton, T.: Robotic Assembly of Modular Structures, Thesis, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, May, 1987.

[7] Gatton, T. M. and Kearney, F. W., Automation and Robotics in Construction: Japanese Research and Development, Technical Report M-90/03, ADA214170, U. S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL, October 1989.

[8] Khoshnevis, B., Automated Construction by Contour Crafting – Related Robotics and Information Technologies, Journal of Automation in Construction – Special Issue, Vol 13, Issue 1, January, 2004, pp 5-19.

[9] Schuil, C., Valente, M., Werfel, J., Nagpal J., Collective Construction Using Lego Robots, 21st National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-06), July 16–20, 2006, Boston, Massachusetts.

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 505 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6

[10] Terada, Y. and Murata, S., Automatic Modular Assembly System and its Distributed Control, International Journal of Robotics Research Volume 27, Issue 3-4, March, 2008, pp. 445-462 ISSN:0278-3649.

[11] Gassel, F. and Schrijver,, A Self-Assembling Curtain Wall System, 25th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, September 19 -21, 2007, Kochi, Kerala, India.

[12] Lohse, N., Hirani, H., and Ratchev, S., Equipment ontology for modular reconfigurable assembly systems, International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Springer, ISSN 0920-6299, Issue Volume 17, Number 4, pp. 301-314, October, 2005, Netherlands.

[13] Gatton, T. M. & Boyer, L. T., Design for Automated Construction, 5th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Tokyo, Japan, June 1988.

[14] Gatton, T., Designing for Construction Automation: Advanced Automation Technologies for Computer Integrated Construction, Thesis (Ph. D.), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, 1991.

[15] Gatton, T. M., A Quantitative Method to Evaluate Automated Constructability, 9th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Tokyo, Japan, June, 1992.

[16] Boothroyd, G., Dewhurst, P. & Knight, W., Marcell and Dekker, Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly, 2nd edition, Marcel Dekker, inc., New York, 2002.

Proceedings of the 11th WSEAS International Conference on Automatic Control, Modelling and Simulation

ISSN: 1790-5117 506 ISBN: 978-960-474-082-6