Aerial additive manufacturing: Toward on-site building construction with aerial robots

Area of Science:

• Construction Technology
• Robotics
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) offers significant advantages in construction, including improved productivity, efficiency, sustainability, and safety over traditional methods.
• Aerial additive manufacturing (aerial AM), utilizing aerial robots, presents unique benefits like scalability at height and access to remote locations.
• Despite progress, the deployment of aerial robots in construction faces substantial challenges and requires further scientific investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of current research in aerial AM.
• To identify key opportunities and challenges associated with large-scale aerial AM applications.
• To introduce an autonomy framework to address inherent technological challenges.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing aerial AM research and applications.
• Analysis of scalability, accessibility, and repair capabilities of aerial AM systems.
• Development of a conceptual autonomy framework for aerial AM.

Main Results:

• Identification of advancements and limitations in current aerial AM technologies.
• Highlighting of critical challenges in large-scale deployment, including control, navigation, and material deposition.
• Proposal of an autonomy framework to guide future research and development.

Conclusions:

• Aerial AM holds significant potential to revolutionize the construction industry.
• Overcoming challenges in autonomy, scalability, and real-world implementation is crucial for widespread adoption.
• The proposed autonomy framework offers a structured approach to addressing the complexities of aerial AM.