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- Advanced Construction Technology Center (ACTEC)
- Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ)
- Japan Construction Mechanization Association (JCMA)
- Japan Robot Association (JARA)
- Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE)
- Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)
©1999 reserved by each author (company)
Publisher: Council for Construction Robot Research
c/o Japan Robot Association
Kikaishinko Bldg.
3-5-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-0011, Japan
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Foreword
by Shigeyuki Obayashi, Chairman
It was in the 1980s when the term "construction robot" came to be used in a specific sense in Japan At that time, technology development activities, which had been carried on for automation of construction machinery aimed at improving the efficiency of work at construction sites and for systematization of construction procedures, were given a clearly-defined direction of progress toward the development of construction robots, supported by the diffusion of industrial robots and the commercialization of microcomputers. There are many pieces of literature indicating that a group of institutions led by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) seriously discussed such topics as the "definition of construction robots," "why construction robots are needed now," "how the system of employment in the construction industry will be affected by construction robots," "where the construction industry differs from other industrial sectors" and "how the construction industry will change through the use of construction robots."
In the early 1980s, public opinion in Japan was formed on the basis of a forecast that everything would depend on industrial prosperity. This was also true of the construction industry where a serious problem came to the fore concerning the aging of the construction work force, upgrading of their academic background and the tendency of young workers to stay away from this sector of industry. Against such backdrop of those days, the construction industry actively pushed forward with the development of technologies on its own initiative for the automation, unmanned operation and robotization of construction works by trial and error. Although necessary guidance was provided by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Construction, it is worthy of special mention that the construction industry played a leading role in realizing advanced systematization of construction technologies by investing with many researchers and engineers, and in research and development projects. In other words, the needs of people at construction sites led to the promotion of technology development in those days.
It is said that the Japanese construction industry has an excellent track record of performance and a top technical level in the world. This owes much to the geographical conditions of the country, but another notable feature is that these favorable results have been achieved by the united efforts of the government, private and academic sectors. Through a period of progress from single-function devices to multifunction ones, research activities are now focused on developing a total system of construction technologies covering all aspects of construction management. These activities feature the basic principle that "construction" works, which have been centered around construction sites for decades, be dealt with as a total system of works comprising not only the procedure for building new structures but also tasks for repair and replacement (or scrapping) of structures in service at the maintenance and management stages. In addition to the provision of artificial intelligence for construction robots themselves, research projects have been launched recently to find new types of construction robot system.
During some 20 years since the introduction of the term "construction robot," more than 550 systems for the automation, unmanned operation and robotization of construction works have been developed and tried in Japan. These systems have been reported in the journals of academic societies or other technical books. Some of them have already been improved and commercialized under different names from the original ones, while research and development efforts for some others have been discontinued due to a change in the peoplešs sense of values.
With the approval of the development companies of construction systems, this catalog reports on their 164 systems selected from among those which are now operated and maintained in some form or another.
For convenienceš sake, the selected systems are grouped under 17 categories:
- Earth Work
- Foundation Work
- Crane Work
- Dam Construction
- Concrete Work
- Mountain Tunnel
- Shield Tunnel
- Marine Ship/Underwater Work
- Placing of Reinforcement/Steel-framework
- Finishing Work of Building
- Prefabrication of Reinforcement
- Pavement Work
- Pneumatic Caisson Work
- Survey
- Inspection & Monitoring
- Maintenance/Others
- Element Techniques
Each of these systems is outlined in a two-page summary report, which bears the name of the development company (with its division) to provide useful information for those readers who wish to know further details of the system.
The catalog was planned and compiled by the Publications Working Group for the "Construction Robot System Catalog in Japan", established in the Council for Construction Robot Research, to provide interested parties of many other countries with accurate information on the current state of construction robot development in Japan.
March 25, 1999
Shigeyuki Obayashi
Chairman
Council for Construction Robot Research
Contact addresses
Council for Construction Robot Research
c/o Japan Robot Association
Kikaishinko Bldg.
3-5-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku
Tokyo, 105-0011, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3434-2919
Fax:+81-3-3578-1402
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