THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

MYSURU-570008
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
2023 -2024

SEMINAR PRESENTATION
TOPIC : ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Presented by
DEEKSHITH GOWDA MN – 4NI19CV022
CONTENTS

 Introduction and a brief about topic.

 Robotic equipment and their application.
 Emerging trends in Automation.
 Advantages and Disadvantages
 Case study
 Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION

 Automation is the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a

process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, use of control
systems and computer software , reducing human intervention to a minimum
 Automation increases the productivity of construction project, reduces the duration
and laborious work, and increases the construction safety.
 One of the uses of robotics is to allow for greater automation in many aspects of
construction, specifically manufacturing, packing and building, automating these
processes is becoming the goal. With greater development in robotics and
machinery, construction companies are becoming more open to utilizing
technology.
 This will not only allow for precision and accuracy throughout all construction
processes, it represents a significant time and financial savings as well.
 APPLICATION OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

1. Off-site automated prefabrication systems

Production of building components at off-site locations in an automated

manner
• Precast Concrete Industry (PCI)
• Large-scale prefabrication (LSP)
• Additive manufacturing (3D printing).

2. On-site automated and robotic systems

Automated and robotic systems used directly on the construction site

• Single task construction robots (STCRs) for bricklaying, steel-truss
assembly, steel welding, façade installation, wall painting, concrete
laying, etc.
• Robotic on-site factories
• Swarms and robots for building component assembly
3. Drones and Autonomous vehicles

Terrestrial, aerial or nautical vehicles that can be piloted remotely or which

are autonomous
• Access to extreme and dangerous environments.
• Automated drilling, excavation and earth moving.
• Surveying, inspection and monitoring

4. Exoskeletons

Wearable devices that work together with the user as opposed to a robot which
performs the task autonomously.
• Improve workers productivity: lift heavy loads, reduce fatigue, and
facilitate the use of tools in awkward positions.
• Reduce injuries
 EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
1. Contour Crafting
Contour crafting refers to a special form of 3D
concrete printing technology ideal for rapid
construction of houses or storage facilities. It
consists of an extruder nozzle attached to a
gantry crane which is used to apply a concrete
mixture. The crane or extruder nozzle travels
along a digital floor plan of the building object
and places layers of concrete on top of each
other.
As with all 3D printing processes, CAD data
forms the basis of the printing process. This
computer-generated data is fed into the 3D
printer. Layers of concrete are placed on top of
each other by means of a nozzle attached to
movable axes. In the process, the printer or Fig: Contour crafting robotics
nozzle traverses the floor plan layer by layer, pulling up both the interior and exterior
walls. Fast-curing special concretes are often used as materials. Ultra High Performance
Concrete (UHCP concrete) is characterized by its high resistance to physical or
chemical influences and also hardens particularly quickly. This enables continuous and
uninterrupted 3D printing.
2. Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

It is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a

circular cross section through a variety of soil and
rock strata. TBM has been in tunnel Construction
for Underground Metro Line-3, B.K.C, Mumbai.
In order to put the machine inside earth crust and
start working, launching shaft is to be prepared.
Shaft of 22 M is prepared. Outer diameter is
6.35M but inner finish diameter is 5.80M.
TBM is divided in various parts which carry
service lines D.G. set, Mugs etc. Once you mile
the tunnel a simultaneous action to shielding of
tunnel is done. This shield is precast having a
length of 1.4 m. This one whole ring is divided in
5+1 segments. Every day 8-10 rings are laid.
Cutter head is used to cut the soil while rotating
and the screw conveyors conveys the entire soil to
shaft from where they are lifted and dumped in
Mugs. After a distance of 70M all backup units Fig: Section of TBM
are installed in tunnel and then it is ready to move
without many problems.
 CASE STUDY
(HEPHAESTUS cable driven facade installation robot in concrete structures)

HEPHAESTUS stands for Highly

Automated Physical Achievements and
Performances Using Cable Robots Unique
Systems. The project aims to increase market
readiness and acceptance of key
developments in cable robots and curtain
walls. The installation of curtain wall modules
(CWMs) is a risky activity carried out in the
heights and often under unfavorable weather Fig: The HEPHAESTUS cable-driven façade
conditions. CWMs are heavy prefabricated installation robot on a testing site
walls that are lifted normally with bindings
and cranes. High stability is needed while
positioning in order not to damage the fragile
CWMs. Moreover, this activity requires high
precision while positioning brackets, the
modules, and for that reason, intensive survey
and marking are necessary. In order to avoid
such inconveniences, there were experiences
to install façade modules in automatic mode
using robotic devices.
Fig: checking the performance of the modular end-effector
of the HEPHAESTUS robot
 In HEPHAESTUS, a novel system has been developed in order to install CWMs
automatically. The system consists of two sub-systems: a cable driven parallel robot
(CDPR) and a set of robotic tools named as Modular End Effector (MEE). The platform of
the CDPR hosts the MEE. This MEE performs the necessary tasks of installing the curtain
wall modules.
There are two main tasks that the CDPR and MEE need to achieve
• fixation of the brackets onto the concrete slab.
• picking and placing of the CWMs onto the brackets.
The first integration of the aforementioned system was carried out in a controlled
environment that resembled a building structure. The results of this first test show that
there are only minor deviations when positioning the CDPR platform .In future steps, the
deviations will be compensated by the tools of the MEE and the installation of the CWM
will be carried out with the required accuracy automatically, which will be reported in
upcoming publications.
Nevertheless, the initial on-site test results suggest that the robot can potentially boost
productivity by 220% for an average construction job, compared to the conventional
façade installation method. Furthermore, a study on the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of
construction robots estimates that the HEPHAESTUS cable-driven robot for facade
installation is theoretically worth investing in in the UK, as well as in the majority of G20
countries .
 CASE STUDY
(Robotized Method Wall tiling)

The economic analysis for interior building task of painting,

plastering, masonry and tiling is examined with Technion of
Autonomous Multipurpose Interior Robot (TAMIR) for the
construction of outpatient block of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of
Medical Sciences at Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Robotized tile setting consists of these subtasks: -
 picking a tile from a box (or) cartridge with a vacuum gripper
 receiving glue (or) cement on the reverse side of the tile by
pressing it against an ejector, attached to the robot; and
 placing the tile as its designated place on the floor.
Alternatively, cement or glue can be applied manually on the
wall prior to attachment of the tiles by the robot.

Floor tiling time in put for the robot is 0.75 min per tile
including picking up the tile, gluing the tile and placing the tile on
the wall. Using 15cm x 15cm tiles; the input is 33 min/m2. The
manual input for the same work is 90 min/m2. It must be noted
however that this time includes measuring and cutting of tiles in
irregular surfaces. In well-structured tiling areas, the labor input
will be somewhat smaller.. The cost of material for both types of Fig: TAMIR laying tiles
work robotized and manual is about the same.
 Advantages
• Uniform quality with higher accuracy than that provided by the skilled worker.
• Improving the work environment as conventional manual work is reduced to a
minimum, so the workers are relieved from uncomfortable work positions.
• Eliminating complaints about noise and dust concerning works such as removal,
cleaning, or preparation of surfaces.
• Increasing productivity and work efficiency with reduced costs

Disadvantages
• Unemployment at the cost of modernization.
• Leads to drain from the country.
• Requires a high capital cost for setting up and maintenance
• Skilled and expert handlers or workers are required due to the need for high technical
knowledge to operate the machines.
 CONCLUSION

 In summary, construction automation and robotics can potentially play a

significant role in the sustainable development of the concrete construction
industry by improving productivity, reducing waste, enhancing safety, as well
as mitigating labor shortages.
 Today, it is evident that the level of automation in construction is very low .
in comparison with current technological advances. That is why we must
make new efforts to increase the automation level of constructions sector.
 Construction robots also faced with changing site conditions and must be
reprogrammed with each new condition hence there is a need to develop a
robotic system for full-scale experimentation for realistic assessment of
automation in the construction industry.
THANK YOU