Research activities
Our five areas of applied research which promotes large-scale interdisciplinary research, training of highly qualified personnel, technology transfer and interaction with industry and municipalities.
Automation and robotics in construction
Addressing Industry 4.0 trends toward automation and related data exchange and processing
Example projects
- deep learning computer vision for detecting and classifying construction activities
- robotic earthmoving operations using multi-agent systems.
Sensing technologies and IoT applications in construction/infrastructure engineering and management
New algorithms will be developed by extending the recent advancements in sensing and telemetries while considering the challenging requirements of construction projects
Example projects
- Automated site data acquisition and utilization in productivity modeling and in tracking progress reporting
- intelligent identification of construction performance variances; autonomous systems for improving worker safety
- sensory data fusion for intelligent decision-making in construction projects
Big data analytics and data science applications in the context of smart cities
While digitalization is the main driver towards smart cities, the drive is not limited to the digital aspect. Analysis of the city big data can create a new discourse for planning, construction, and operation of the physical urban infrastructure
Example projects
- developing deterioration models for urban infrastructure assets via machine learning and deep learning
- evaluating user-driven levels of service for urban infrastructure through text mining, computational linguistics, and social network analysis
- urban information modeling and urban computation for demand detection and decision making to support emerging technologies
- using infrastructure end-users to create human sensor networks for measuring performance via pervasive computation and crowdsourcing
Industrialization of construction
The knowledge from industrial engineering and supply chain management will be used to advance the research and practice in off-site and modular construction and construction 3D printing considering productivity, quality, logistics, and ergonomic issues
Example projects
- Optimization of planning and manufacturing of modular and off-site construction
- developing manufacturing-centric, Building Information Modeling (BIM) based solutions to improve the level of automation of design, drafting, and quantity takeoff
- framework for the implementation of smart factory concepts for logistics and on-site assembly in construction manufacturing
- continuous productivity and safety improvement measures for construction manufacturing based on biomechanical and ergonomic studies
Reliability analysis, condition assessment and rating of infrastructure for optimized maintenance and intervention plans and value-driven budget allocation
Innovative methods will be developed to support efficient condition assessment and rating, tracking performance and optimized measures/interventions for maintenance and rehabilitation of civil infrastructure for long-term sustainability and networks resilience plans
Example projects
- computer vision for rapid screening of deteriorating infrastructure
- statistical pattern recognition method for assessing infrastructure condition
- data fusion and artificial intelligence technologies for structural health monitoring; optimization of maintenance planning for sustainable infrastructure systems
- risk analysis for capacity enhancement of resilient transportation infrastructure networks
- bridge inspection using UAV-mounted LiDAR and other technologies such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), digital imaging and infrared technology
- optimizing budget allocation for networks of municipal asset
