The core focus of our group’s research is to improve operations and processes in construction and similar industries. We thus utilize a combination of cutting edge analytical tools such as simulation, visualization, VR/AR, artificial intelligence, and wireless sensors to study and improve various areas within the construction industry.
Focus Areas
The technologies and methods that we develop and use in our research are applicable to a wide range of construction operations. We have considerable experience in the following domains of the construction industry, and have performed numerous research projects that demonstrate the efficacy of technology interventions in the following domains.
Heavy Civil Construction
Modular Construction
Disaster Relief and Recovery Operations
Highway Work-zone Operations
Virtual Reality for Construction and Manufacturing
We develop standalone VR software applications for workforce development. These application enable the training, orienting, and on-boarding of apprentices, safety managers, workers, and equipment operators to their work environment and work processes. Please contact us for more information to develop your own training data or to use the software that has already been created. The following are sample videos from our applications. Enjoy!
This video shows a VR construction safety training tool that provides orientation and testing of safety policies for a construction site. The safety manager can create a virtual construction site filled with safety hazards. The user will then have to navigate the site virtually and identify hazards and provide remedies. This project was developed by Steven Phillips, Michael Commins, and Xizhi Yang under the supervision of Dr. Louis.
This video shows a VR workforce development training tool for the modular construction factory. A novice worker can learn about the sequence of operations involved, safety procedures, and location of tools and materials in a virtual environment before stepping into the real-factory. This project is developed by Zachery Thomson, James Mohr, and Jason Chen under the supervision of Dr. Louis and Khandakar Rashid.
This video shows a VR construction equipment simulator that is developed to provide novice operators with an introduction to their controls. Performance measures relating to the operator familiarity with tools and ease of operation can be captured for evaluation. This project was developed by Ryan Cairns and Cody Christopher Luth under the supervision of Dr. Louis.
Process Simulation, Visualization, and Optimization
We model, analyze, and optimize construction processes, resource utilization, and operation productivity using simulation and optimization methods.
This video shows how a process model for an earthmoving site works in conjunction with a 3D visualization of the operation.
This video shows a larger earthmoving operation that shows how various operational strategies for routing trucks at the fork can be evaluated using discrete event simulation.
This video shows a process visualization of a modular construction factory. Specifically it shows how factory layouts, resource availability, and module design can affect factory production. This application was developed by Adam Sunderman.
Augmented Reality Sandboxes for Civil and Construction Visualization
We are creating multiple applications for the novel visualization of infrastructure-scale data using tangible interfaces such as AR Sandboxes. Please let us know if you would like more detailed instructions for building your own sandboxes and if you would like to make use of the applications we have developed already. The following are screenshots from our physical sandbox and applications.
Engaging future engineers with the sandbox during the 2020 Summer Transportation Institute.
Terrain and contour visualization with the sandbox
Transportation network analysis with the sandbox
Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence
We apply artificial intelligence techniques to automatically obtain insights from video, audio, and other sensor data from construction sites. The following are some examples of work in this area.
This photo shows an example of computer vision work being done by PhD Student Roshan Panahi that shows how construction productivity and performance can be automatically tracked using video data.
This photo shows an example of artificial intelligence work done by PhD student Khandakar Rashid to determine the actions of an excavator based on IMU motion data.
We can also use sound (audio) data to determine what work is being performed inside a modular factory by apply machine learning techniques.
