Second-year CivMin students had a meet-and-greet with the robot Spot and a presentation on the present and the future of robotics in the construction setting during the Management of Construction class.
The Department had the pleasure of hosting Sina Karimi, an R&D Specialist at Pomerleau in the CIV280H1: Management of Construction class, led by Professor Daeho Kim.
Karimi delivered an impactful presentation and demonstrated a real robot named Spot. During the class students had the opportunity to interact with and operate Spot, gaining insights into autonomous mobile robots and their successful applications in construction. This robot can autonomously navigate construction environments, automating capturing by 3D scanning of the site and surveying.
“We are dedicated to advancing collaborative research focused on autonomous mobile construction robots. Starting with a baseline platform, we aim to develop key visual artificial intelligences (visual AIs) in partnership with Pomerleau to enhance the usability of such robotic solutions, ” says Kim.
Pomerleau, a leading force in the Canadian construction industry, is dedicated to innovative and sustainable construction techniques. Currently, the company manages two construction projects at U of T’s St. George Campus. As part of the collaborative research between Pomerleau and the CivMin department, Karimi will also lead educational sessions for Professor Kim’s PhD students on robot operations and the complexities of the Robot Operating System (ROS). “The outcome of our research will be demonstrated and tested on real sites, validating its future potential,” added Kim.
By Galina Nikitina