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Message from the Chairmen
Some thirteen years ago, a group of us attended a rather small workshop here in Pittsburgh. At that time, construction robots were more an ideal than a reality. We all had notions about what could and should be done to automate construction, and in retrospect our intentions were arguably better than our ideas. A great deal has transpired since that meeting, as evidenced by the number of real robots now in practice, the growing ranks of researchers who have dedicated themselves to construction robotics, and an increasing number of organizations now applying and using new developments.
These proceedings reflect how things have changed. The complete spectra of topics are covered: topics range from hard automation to autonomous robots; from component technologies to complete system implementations; from theory to practical application; from robot hardware to information technology; from lessons learned to prospects for the future. Construction robotics and automation are clearly no longer fledgling discipline.
The meeting itself has grown into a truly international conference. This year's symposium features speakers from 16 countries. Universities, government labs, small and large corporations, and combinations of them are represented here. We are very pleased to have been selected to host all of you for the 14th ISARC.
An outstanding group of people has come together to produce this symposium, and we wish to acknowledge them. Thanks are owed to officers and directors of IAARC, our technical co-sponsors, and especially the paper authors and presenters, who have provided the focal points for us to meet and advance our technology. In particular we are grateful for the hard work of many scientists, staff and students in CMU's Robotics Institute whose hard work and dedication has made this event happen. It has been a pleasure to work with all of them.
| William "Red" Whittaker |
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Jim "Oz" Osborn |
| General Chair |
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General Co-Chair |
- Report on ISARC 14
If you missed ISARC'14, you missed a lot!
The fourteenth ISARC returned to its point of origin, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in June of 1997
- Arranged by The Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, technical co-sponsors were:
- the Carnegie Mellon Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- the Construction Industry Institute
- the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
- North Carolina State University
- Construction Automation & Robotics Laboratory
- the Robotics Industries Association.
The conference was truly international. The 120 attendees came from 17 different nations. Universities, government labs, small and large corporations, and combinations of these were represented.
Past IAARC President Yasuyoshi Miyatake opened the conference with an address, The Historical Path aspects of the of ISARC. This was followed by two talks, one by General Co-Chair Red Whittaker entitled The Evolution of Construction Robots: Leaving the Laboratory and one by IAARC Board member Dr. Fikry Garas on Automation as an Integral Part of a Project Life Cycle,
The technical sessions covered complete spectra of subjects. From hard automation to autonomous robots; from component technologies to complete system implementations: from theory to practical application; from robot hardware to information technology; from lessons learned to prospects for the future.
- Papers presented this year were grouped into several topical areas:
- Automated Planning & Scheduling two sessions)
- Building Construction (three sessions)
- Building Finishing
- Construction Robot Control
- Construction Robot Design Techniques, Information Systems and Technologies Metrology in Construction (special session), Robotic Bridge and Road Work
- Robot Safety and Safeguarding
- Sensors and Sensing Techniques (two sessions)
- Special Applications
- User Interfaces.
Beyond the technical and "business" aspects of the conference, the attendees enjoyed several social events, highlighted by a guided tour of Pittsburgh's famous bridges and dinner cruise on a riverboat. The conference concluded with a visit to Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute.
Even if you were unable to attend, you can still share in the information exchanged at ISARC-14 through the conference proceedings. Extra copies are still available for $US 50; you can robots; also purchase an ISARC'14 canvas briefcase for an additional $US 15.
Contact the conference chair, Jim Osborn via email (oz@cmu.edu), phone (1-412-268 6553), or by fax (1-412-268-5895) for details.
- US mail address:
| The Robotics Institute |
phn: 412-268-6553 |
| Carnegie Mellon University |
fax: 412-268-5895 |
| 5000 Forbes Avenue |
res: 412-826-9602 |
| Pittsburgh, PA 15213 |
cel: 412-818-6332 (NEW#) |
| overnight delivery address:
| FMR Building, Room 206 |
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