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The Rise of Drones in Construction
The Rise of Drones in Construction
The global commercial drones market size was valued at $20.8 Billion in 2021 and is anticipated to reach $501.4 Billion by 2028. Drones are increasingly being used for various industrial activities such as mining, agriculture, surveying. In just one year, the use of drones in construction grew by more than 200%, making the construction industry the fastest commercial adopter of drones. However, construction is already one of the most dangerous industries to work in. In the past two decades, more than 28,000 construction workers have died at work in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 1,038 construction workers were killed and over 200,000 injured in 2018, accounting for about 20% of workplace fatalities for all industries. Thus, the construction workers are already at a much higher risk than their counterparts in other industries, and the integration of such flying robots in the construction job sites raises novel occupational safety and health issues which, might make the construction industry more dangerous than before.
Unknown Safety Impacts of Human-Drone Interactions on Construction Site
Drones can be instrumental for both safety and efficiency in construction but flying them over construction sites also carries significant risks that are often underappreciated. Risks arise from unintended physical contact between these drones and human workers or due to the cognitive interaction between workers and drones that may affect workers' attentional and psychological state. Every interaction, cognitive or physical, creates the potential for an accident. Furthermore, the operating spaces of two or more drones can overlap, posing risks to a human worker from multiple sources. The safety concerns of drones in construction can broadly be categorized as (1) Physical Contact Risks, (2) Attentional Costs, and (3) Psychological Impacts. The following table illustrates the itemized list of the potential risks:
Studying the Unknown Using the Power of VR
In this study, we will employ simulation techniques and virtual reality (VR) technology to study the health and safety challenges of construction crew collaboratively working with drones on the construction jobsites. A combination of quantitative and qualitative measures obtained from interviews, self-reported questionnaires, and multiple types of camera-based systems, wearable biosensors, and ground reaction force measurement systems will be used to assess the health and safety impact of drones. From a human behavior modeling perspective, the project will elicit fundamental knowledge about natural human behavior in drone-populated environments and advance fundamental knowledge of human-drone interaction. Moreover, the findings of the study will help in formalizing comprehensive regulations for drone use in construction and lead to the efficient design of drones and unmanned aerial systems to satisfy construction-specific needs.
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