Vision-Based Material Inspection for the Optimization of Robotized Construction

In a project funded by the Ministry of Regional Identity, Local Government, Building and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, automation in the construction industry is to be advanced. The goal is to realize essential parts of the shell based on a digital building model, using robot technology. After the realization of the automated masonry, the automatic creation of ceilings with cable-driven parallel robots shall be developed. An important step towards economic competitiveness is the increase in processing speed and quality. The optimization of the construction material gripping and the corresponding detection processes are crucial for cost-effective implementation. The approach proposed here utilizes machine vision methods to accelerate the automated shell creation, additionally enabling quality assurance. The paper reviews the state of quality assurance and machine vision methods in the context of automated building construction. It then outlines the approach to process improvements, describing a concept for image-based component recognition. The results demonstrate the potential benefits of incorporating machine vision into the cable robot system, discussing implications for efficiency and overall construction quality. The findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to integrate automation seamlessly into the construction industry.