Robot colleagues now coming to construction

The Austrian start-up Baubot is a specialist in automation solutions for the construction sector and thereby raising the level of innovation in this industry to new heights – for example with a robot solution for tunnel construction. Sensor technologies from SICK protect people and machines.

The construction robot from the start-up Baubot.

More and more strenuous, manual tasks are being performed by robots – in industrial environments at least. Up until now, this has not been the case in construction. If you compare the level of innovation in industry with that in the construction sector, great differences are evident. While even smaller industrial enterprises often invest in comprehensive automation solutions, things are usually still done more “casually” in construction. One reason for this is that the collaborative robots that are now increasingly often being used in industry have not been designed for use in construction. Power and mobility are needed here – that necessitates a corresponding safety concept, however, that quickly becomes a hindrance in construction.

Power, mobility and safety for the construction industry

The Viennese start-up Baubot has specialized in these kinds of developments and offers complete solutions incorporating robots from KUKA and SICK sensor technology that satisfy the needs of the construction industry. The “Baubots” (construction bots) are equipped with sophisticated safety functions. Advanced sensors and collision detection systems ensure safe operation even in dynamic environments. This enables humans to work directly alongside mobile robots without having to make any compromises with regard to reliability or safety.

Wide variety of tasks

Victor Rodionov, COO of Baubot, explains the key tasks of the new construction robots and the three core areas of the company: “The first area is developing and constructing customer-specific robotic systems based on our two models: the MRS5 and MRS12. The MRS5 is somewhat smaller than the MRS12, has a shorter robot arm, and a lower payload. These “mechatronic colleagues” perform a diverse range of tasks on the construction site, from drilling to grinding and polishing, right through to welding or spraying.”

The robot has various tasks, such as drilling, grinding, polishing, welding and spraying.

Software and control systems

The second core area of Baubot is developing the software and control systems that enable the robots to perform specific tasks automatically. Victor Rodionov: “A good example is drilling. The system comes with an end effector on the robot arm – this alone is not sufficient, however. Suitable software solutions are required here as well. There are also additional technical features, for example to control dust production so the dust can be extracted directly at the drill hole.”

Mission programs for construction

The third area at Baubot is the application software that includes all processes as a complete solution. The Baubot Planning and Simulation Environment (PSE), for example, supports quick graphical planning of the mission positions and driving paths for the mobile robotic system in a virtual environment. The software imports BIM files, Point Clouds, 3D CAD files as well as 2D drawings of the construction layouts directly into the 3D environment. Baubot PSE also features a built-in post-processor that converts virtual simulations into mission programs tailored specifically to the requirements on site.

More safety in construction

Construction sites are a dangerous environment – and have been for a long time. “Not much has really changed during the past 50 years when it comes to the processes in construction. The same or similar tools and planning methods are used in most areas these days as half a century ago. This is also reflected in the risk statistics that show that every employee has an accident every four days on average. This is unbelievable, even if it often only involves a minor injury. The special safety requirements placed on robots can lead to significant improvements in this area because adequate protection is unfortunately often not provided when performing manual everyday tasks. People also tend, over time, to become ‘overconfident’ and thereby careless,” explains Victor Rodionov. Especially interesting, according to Victor Rodionov, is that the “safety level” on the construction site increases significantly after deploying a Baubot. “The safety consulting services of the SICK experts also raised many interesting questions and issues for us which flowed into the development of the machine.” This made finding a solution significantly easier, and the result is that a controller with an integrated safety CPU now controls and monitors all work processes on the Baubot. A fully-integrated robotic system for construction – safety included!

Die Anzahl von Verletzungen am Bau können durch Roboter maßgeblich minimiert werden.

Löcher bohren im Tunnel

Beim Baubot Modell MRS12 ist das Bohren von Löchern eine der Hauptaufgaben. Trainings oder Einschulungen braucht der Roboter nicht – auf Basis seiner Programmierung weiß er genau, welche Position er beim Bohren einnehmen muss. Die Arbeiten laufen dadurch schnell und präzise ab. Improvisationen gibt es nicht. Es wird exakt so gebaut bzw. gebohrt wie geplant und natürlich alles dokumentiert, denn das System protokolliert jeden Arbeitsschritt mit. Zusätzliche Inspektionen oder die Aufnahme von weiteren Protokollen vor Ort kann man sich daher ersparen.

Automatisierung – nicht Autonomie

Ein gutes Beispiel für die Arbeit des Baubot MRS12 in einem Tunnel ist die Montage von Geländern. Bei einem Tunnel wie dem Koralmtunnel sind das 30 Kilometer pro Richtung. Jeden halben Meter müssen bis zu vier Löcher für die Halterungen gebohrt werden. „Wir sprechen hier aber nicht von autonomer Arbeit der Maschine, die dann selbst Entscheidungen treffen müsste“, unterstreicht Victor Rodionov. „Wir fokussieren uns auf die Automatisierung, denn wir dürfen die Maschine hier aufgrund gesetzlicher Vorschriften nicht alleine arbeiten lassen, brauchen also einen Mitarbeiter am Gerät. Dieser muss jedoch nicht mehr die herausfordernde Arbeit des Bohrens für 8 Stunden täglich übernehmen. Die Maschine macht die anstrengende Bohrarbeit und die Werker kümmern sich um den Installationsprozess“, erklärt der Baubot COO. Das wird auch von den Mitarbeitenden auf der Baustelle gut angenommen. Waren sie am Anfang noch skeptisch gegenüber den Robotern, sind sie heute begeistert und wollen gerne so eine Maschine in ihrem Team haben. Sie sehen den Roboter nämlich nicht als Konkurrenz, sondern als ein Werkzeug.

Ingo Wegscheider, Regional Sales Manager at SICK Austria (left) and Victor Rodionov, COO of Baubot (right).

SICK ensures safety Thanks to its comprehensive expertise in machine safety and robotics, SICK played an essential role from the beginning as a partner to Baubot. The objective was to comprehensively investigate the specific environment. Ingo Wegscheider, Regional Sales Manager at SICK Austria: “Our experts spoke to the developers at Baubot to identify all hazards associated with the machine. We also took into account that the work conditions in the tunnel are often quite unpleasant – it is dusty, moist and dirty.” Safety hazards arise, for example, due to the mobility of the robot, i.e. its travel movements. Using a microScan3 safety laser scanner, the construction robot detects whether there are any obstacles standing or lying in its path or a worker has fallen down. The two safety laser scanners can each cover a range of around 270 degrees, thereby together covering the entire surroundings.

The Baubot robot is equipped with two microScan3 safety laser scanners, each of which covers around 270 degrees.

Robot arm as hazard source

Another important hazard source is the movements of the robot arm itself, which could seriously injury a person. In the tunnel, the aim is to work with flexible safety fields that are continuously adjusted for the specific task / function of the robot. Rodionov: “On the construction site, we have different and constantly changing ambient and hazard situations that also take into consideration what the robot is currently doing. Different safety requirements and correspondingly wider or narrower safety fields apply when driving, aligning, drilling. Safety is always the top priority, but should not hinder the work.”

Laser excels

The robot needs to recognize whether a detected obstacle actually is one. For example, it needs to drive up suitably close to the wall to be drilled. It also has to keep an “eye” on the position of the employee at all times, of course. The laser sensors measure the distance by means of time-of-flight measurement. This makes them far superior to a camera system due to the often harsh ambient conditions. Ingo Wegscheider: “Conventional optical sensors are often not the best choice for dusty environments. Laser sensors also prove to be extremely reliable in outdoor applications, in particular when it is raining or snowing. Typical applications in the construction area include, for example, distance measurement when installing guardrails or railings on bridges.”