Publications / 2022 Proceedings of the 39th ISARC, Bogotá, Colombia

Project-based curriculum for teaching construction robotics

Cynthia Brosque and Martin Fischer
Pages 582-589 (2022 Proceedings of the 39th ISARC, Bogotá, Colombia, ISBN 978-952-69524-2-0, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

As innovations in construction robotics are being tested and deployed on site thanks to technological advancements in computing and sensing, Civil Engineering researchers must consider how to connect real-world innovations with research and teaching at a much faster pace. Observing the practice helps identify problems and test engineering solutions and models through research. As the research develops, engi-neering courses can foster innovation adoption in the indus-try. This cycle leads to a new practice and the recognition of new problems that feed the research and teaching. This paper focuses on teaching construction robotics through a project-based curriculum as an essential mechanism to enhance this ecosystem from research to practice. The project involves the collaboration of construction companies, robot companies, and students to analyze the potential Safety, Quality, Sched-ule, and Cost impacts of at least ten construction robots. The anticipated benefits for the students are engaging in real engineering problem solving and synthesizing academic and industry experience. At the same time, the collaboration between the students and the industry helps validate the re-search generality and contributions. This paper does not claim that this represents the only or best way to teach this topic but aims to open the subject for discussion.

Keywords: Construction Robotics; Education; Automation; Construction Management