Development of a Multipurpose Mobile Robot for Concrete Surface Processing

This paper reports on the continuing design of an autonomous multipurpose mobile robot intended for concrete slab finishing, grinding, and cleaning during construction. Common to these three applications are rotating tools in contact with the floor. Selectively adaptable to one machine, these tools will perform recurrent tasks on a construction site. In Phase 1, an experimental vehicle has been built to test navigation concepts including path planning, location measurement, and path following. Steering and locomotion of the experimental vehicle are provided by two independently steered and powered wheel sets enabling the vehicle to perform complex manoeuvres required by the selected application. In Phase 2, a robot prototype equipped with tools is under development. Different vehicle-tool configurations have been modelled and simulated in order to attain optimal mobility and surface coverage.