Construction Robotics and Standardization

After a ten year period of development, construction robotics is now more mature than at the very early beginning. Many research have been carried out both in hardware (HW) (design and tests of experimental robots for instance) and in software (SW) (management of robotized construction process for instance).These research works have clearly shown that interfaces between different modules (HW and SW) have to be proposed and discussed. These interfaces are likely to become the basis of future standard. For instance, the efficient use of automatic grippers, replacing the hooks of crane, requires a standardized interface between the load packaging and the effector of the gripper. SW interfaces are also needed to ensure efficient and safe communication between design computers and robots. Many other examples can already be listed. The coming developments will give new opportunities. This paper analyses some of these first attempts to standardize both HW and SW interfaces in construction robotics. From this analysis, needs to foster the definition of future standards are drawn out, specially a need for a greater international cooperation.