Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are lost due to human errors in the layout of construction information. When an architect has finished their drawings and they need translated to the freshly poured foundation of a building, it is usually handled by construction workers using tape measures and chalk lines.
The workers identify where key structural elements will be placed based; locations of studs, walls, stairwells, doorways, etc.
Inches matter. Seemingly small errors can turn into gigantic financial and time losses as construction comes to a screeching halt, because a key structural beam was incorrectly placed by 18 inches.
Our team proposes a solution to this problem. Using off the shelf components to create a simple wheeled robot capable of marking concrete with spray paint. The robot would use on-site ground-based GPS augmentation systems to replace the construction worker using tape measures and chalk lines.
CAD design files for the layout would be loaded directly into the robot, producing a precision to-scale replica of the drawing onto the concrete foundation of the construction site.
The process of translating an architects drawings to the construction site occurs on a daily basis from simple houses to every floor of a Dubai skyscraper. The scope of this solution is enormous and the time and monies saved is equally impressive.
Submitted by Michael James, Akron, OH; USA
http://www.createthefuturecontest.com
