Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1245531
I DA U N I V E R S A L M ay -J u n e 2 0 2 0 39 of tracking along the same route talking to each other, alerting each other to what they see along the route if conditions are changing." "I think the trickiest thing about construction is how dynamic the environ- ment is, building technology that is pliable or versatile enough to account for those changing conditions and being able to update in real time to plan to accommodate for that. I think that is really going to be the key here," he said. Equipment operated by systems from companies like Built Robotics will also need computer vision to recognize utility lines, human remains or anomalies, like archaeological or histori- cally important artifacts. It's not an everyday occurrence, but construction activity in any locale can unearth artifacts that lead to work stoppage. Drones, robots and computer vision Drones that can deploy automatically from a box are being developed for a variety of applications, from fi re safety to security to power line inspec- Calling to mind John Henry versus the machine, Kikani said human operators can go faster than a Built-controlled excavator, for example, but machine automa- tion is meant to provide consis- tency and maintain a reliable pace to ensure projects fi nish on schedule. Built Robotics combines lidar with cameras for perception and to recognize humans or potential obstacles. Geofencing keeps machinery from straying outside the footprint of a construction site. Excavators and dozers can work together, with dozers pushing material away or creating space for the excavator to be more productive. "The fl eet coordination element here is going to be critical. In Built [Robotic]'s early days, we really focused on stand- alone activities, where you have one piece of equipment just on its own taking care of the scope. But realistically, to get into the heart of construction, I think we're going to start to coordinate with other types of equipment," Kikani said. "So you might have excavators loading trucks [and] autonomous haulage routes where you have fl eets of trucks that are all kind Grading lots for a new residential community. A wind farm our robots helped build. tion. Drones hovering above a construction site can track project progress and could eventually play a role in orchestrating the movement of people, robotic equipment and heavy machinery. In a nod to natural systems, San Francisco-based Sunfl ower Labs calls its drones "bees," its motion and vibration sensors "sunfl owers," and the box its drones emerge from a "hive." Sensors around a protected property detect motion or vibra- tions and trigger the drones to leave their base station and record photos and video. Computer vision systems working with sensors on the ground guide the drone to look for Intruders or investigate other activity. Autono- mous fl ight systems are fi xed with sensors on all four sides to infl u- ence where the drone fl ies. Sunfl ower Labs CEO Alex Pachikov said his company's initial focus is on the sale of drones- in-a-box for automated security at expensive private homes. The company is also seeing a growing interest from farmers of high- value crops, like marijuana. Multiple Sunfl ower Labs drones can coordinate to provide security for a collection of vacation homes, acting as a kind of automated neighborhood watch that responds to disturbances during the months of the year when the homes attract few visitors. Stanley Black and Decker, one of the largest security equipment providers in the United States, became a strategic investor in Sunfl ower Labs in 2017 and then started exploring how drones can support construction project security and computer vision services. Pachikov said Sunfl ow- er's security is not intended to Code + diesel = robot. Continued on page 41