Systematic Literature Research of the Current Implementation of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The implementation of UAS is bringing easiness and time saving activities into the currently construction site task. In the construction industry, diverse and relevant benefits of the technology have been identified through the project life cycle, such as monitoring project progress report, faster and low-cost land measurements and 3D modelling. Currently, the most valuable benefits of the UAS in the construction industry are related to automation the construction process, low cost, greater speed and safer real-time data collection compare with the traditional methods, and a reliable replacement over satellites and manned vehicles in terms of high-resolution images. However, there is a lack of exemplification and clarity of the actual implementation of the UAS in the construction industry in terms of adoption process and impacted usage. Therefore, a systematic literature review was carried out in order to explore the literature available of the topic related to implementation of unmanned aerial system in the construction industry, the most relevant tasks, cases, areas of usage and the reasons of applying it. The finding of this paper is providing exemplification models of current usage such as visualisation and disaster management, evolution map of the UAS according to the publication numbers and construction project stages when to use the UAS.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Dynamic Site Layout Planning in Large-Scale Construction Projects

“…Despite the benefits generated by the use of UAVs in construction engineering, there are still several technical and managerial challenges that must be overcome for the technology to continue advancing in the sector [54]. Concerns about the safety of using drones in densely populated job sites continue to be identified as the biggest barrier to the spread of these devices, since an operator error can result in serious accidents, with personal and property damage [33,47].…”

“…Technical issues are also on the agenda of researchers and enthusiasts of this technology. Problems related to battery life, the need for training, the difficulty or impossibility of flying in certain weather conditions, such as strong winds, and the quality of information obtained in these situations are currently the object of study and should be improved so that application of UAVs will gain more use in the construction industry [47,54].…”

“…The flexibility and manoeuvrability that allow UAVs to access hardto-reach areas and the skill to cover large-scale sites economically and efficiently [49][50][51], providing visual access through photos or real-time videos, are some of its greatest attractive features [33,52,53]. These characteristics make this technology ideal for mapping and monitoring activities [1], enabling its use at all construction stages [54], from planning, which requires extensive knowledge of the site conditions, location, and surroundings [47], to permanent monitoring, through information related to the presence of construction resources and workflow progress [55]. As a result, site engineers and site planners nowadays have a tool that helps them obtain detailed and up to date information about the logistics and schedule of construction operations [47].…”

Aferição de obras habitacionais com o uso de RPAS/Drone

“…Na construção civil, o uso de Remotely Piloted Aircraft System / Sistema de Aeronave Remotamente Pilotada (RPAS/Drone) vem sendo estudado com finalidade ampla, associado a diversas tecnologias embarcadas -câmeras visuais, térmicas, scanners e RFID [3] [4] [5], com uso inclusive em áreas internas da construção [6]. A ampla finalidade e possibilidades do uso de RPAS é identificada em estudos relacionados ao gerenciamento de obras de arte/pontes [7], obras de saneamento básico [8], execução de pavimentação de estradas [9], auxílio no cálculo de volumes de terraplenagem [10], estabilidade de escavações [11], processo de cura do concreto [12], tecnologias de rastreamento de materiais no canteiro de obras [13], inspeção de fachada de edificações [14], segurança no canteiro de obras [15] e riscos associados ao uso do RPAS no canteiro de obra [16].…”

Simulation-Based Comparison of Novel Automated Construction Systems

“…Additionally, they are used for active monitoring of construction sites to achieve an increase in construction site safety. For an overview, see [20]. All previously mentioned use cases have in common that the payload of the drone is comparatively small.…”