Technology and process assessment of using ladar and embedded sensing for construction quality control

Emerging LADAR and embedded sensing technologies are making inroads into the construction industry for quality control applications. Much of the research conducted and the practical usage to date have focused on a static snapshot evaluation of already constructed structures. A remaining question is how technologically feasible and applicable these technologies are for frequent inspection during construction. Researchers in the civil engineering, architecture, and robotics departments at Carnegie Mellon University are developing and evaluating a formalism for application of these technologies for supporting quality control on construction sites. This formalism consists of developing a formalism for planning inspections, collecting data, modeling as-built conditions, and reasoning with the as-built and as-designed models to detect deviations and defects on construction sites. A series of five case studies on commercial and light industrial construction sites were conducted within the context of that research to identify challenges and opportunities in using LADAR and embedded sensing technologies to support inspection and quality control processes on construction sites. Based on the experiences in these case studies, the authors present a technology and process assessment of the use of LADAR and embedded sensing frequently to support inspection and quality control on construction sites.