Automated Earthmoving Status Determination.
Automated Earthmoving Status Determination.
(3338 K)
Stone, W. C.; Cheok, G. S.; Lipman, R. R.
Robotics 2000. ASCE Conference on Robotics for
Challenging Environments. February 28-March 2, 2000,
Albuquerque, NM, 2000.
Keywords:
construction; information dissemination; technology
utilization
Abstract:
Efforts are underway at the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop automated
non-intrusive production measurement systems and
procedures for monitoring the status of general
earthmoving operations at typical construction sites.
The approach involves the use of auto-registered Lidar
range sensing systems, wireless communications, high
speed networking, temporal project databases, web-based
data analysis and 3D user interfaces to provide useful
derivative quantities to the earthmoving contractor
while at the actual construction site. These same
techniques may prove useful for planning and execution
of remote, autonomous excavation on other planets.
Present research is focused on developing methods for
automated registration of independent 2-1/2D range data,
automated volumetric calculations, including cut/fill
requirements and amounts of raw material removed or
placed, and web-based 3D site simulators which reflect
the instant terrain geometry. This paper discusses the
methods employed to achieve this capability and plans
currently underway for daily construction monitoring at
a $6M process plant in the spring of 2000.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899