Adaptive Visual Perception for Robotic Construction Process: A Multi-Robot Coordination Framework

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multi-robot coordination framework that adaptively adjusts camera viewpoints to improve visual perception in unstructured construction sites, enhancing safety and efficiency.

Contribution

It presents a novel viewpoint selection method for supervising robots to optimize visual coverage of primary construction robots in large, occluded environments.

Findings

The framework improves visual coverage and operational safety.

The viewpoint selection method is validated across various scenarios.

The system demonstrates robustness and real-time adaptability.

Abstract

Construction robots operate in unstructured construction sites, where effective visual perception is crucial for ensuring safe and seamless operations. However, construction robots often handle large elements and perform tasks across expansive areas, resulting in occluded views from onboard cameras and necessitating the use of multiple environmental cameras to capture the large task space. This study proposes a multi-robot coordination framework in which a team of supervising robots equipped with cameras adaptively adjust their poses to visually perceive the operation of the primary construction robot and its surrounding environment. A viewpoint selection method is proposed to determine each supervising robot's camera viewpoint, optimizing visual coverage and proximity while considering the visibility of the upcoming construction robot operation. A case study on prefabricated wooden frame installation demonstrates the system's feasibility, and further experiments are conducted to validate the performance and robustness of the proposed viewpoint selection method across various settings. This research advances visual perception of robotic construction processes and paves the way for integrating computer vision techniques to enable real-time adaption and responsiveness. Such advancements contribute to the safe and efficient operation of construction robots in inherently unstructured construction sites.