Enhancing Students’ Attitudes Towards Robots Using a Virtual Site Visit on Four-Legged Robot Applications in Construction

The use of robotics and automation in construction has become increasingly popular in recent years, but negative attitudes toward working alongside these technologies persist. This is a significant issue, particularly for construction students who are future construction professionals. Understanding the safety challenges and countermeasures associated with working with robots on-site is essential for improving attitudes toward them. However, logistical and financial constraints present challenges in incorporating an effective robot-related learning tool or alternative into construction education. To address this issue, this study developed a virtual site visit, which integrates Virtual Reality (VR) technology and immersive storytelling to expose students to a robot-dominant construction site. The virtual site visit allows users to navigate a robot-dominant construction site and learn about four-legged robots, their applications, safety challenges, and countermeasures for working safely with them. This study aims to explore the potential relationship between students’ backgrounds, specifically their construction experience and familiarity with construction robots, and the impact of virtual site visits on improving attitudes toward construction robots. The findings indicate that following the virtual site visit, there was a significant decrease in negative attitudes among students with limited construction experience and limited knowledge about robots.