Concept Studies of Automated Construction Using Cable-Driven Parallel Robots

The construction industry is still dominated by manual processes. This is both due to conventional planning tools that do not allow for a complete digital representation of a building and the limitation of the workspace of conventional robots that is far below the dimensions of most buildings. With the introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM), the first is subject to change. BIM will allow for a holistic representation of any building and thus allow for digital workflows that enable efficient automation. Second, the development of cable-driven parallel robots meanwhile allows to create large manipulators that even cover the volume of a construction site. This allows for automated construction processes. The paper addresses BIM as a base for motion planning, investigates workspace aspects and site layout and introduces an experimental setup for feasibility studies. Initial experimental results are presented and discussed.