Lectures and University Internships

Content

Class sessions contrast the development of construction robots with manufacturing robots, showcase real-world applications of construction robots, and introduce state-of-the-art robot development in human-robot collaboration.

Students attending the class will gain a good understanding of the performance of construction robots available in the market through guest lectures, demos, and site visits. Special guest lectures by General Contractors, Stanford’s Robotics Center, TUM, Autodesk, and Venture Capitalists will complement the analysis perspective.

The class is structured into five Modules presented by Dr. Cynthia Brosque of the Stanford University:

1. Introduction to the framework: Introduction to on-site vs. off-site robots, basic robot principles, and construction robots’ history. Robotics Evaluation Framework: Product, Organization, Process, Safety, Quality, Schedule, and Cost Analyses. Introduction to the class project.
2. Case Studies: On-site construction robot application examples. Guest lectures, demos, and site visits.
3. The Sustainable Perspective: Equity, Economic, and Ecological perspective (EEE framework).
4. Human-Robot Collaboration: Collaborative approaches in industry and academia. Reflection on the robot operator role.
5. Robotics in the Context of VDC: Discussion on the opportunities and challenges of robots within the broader context of VDC applications.

Furthermore, lectures are given by guest professors to the following subjects:

• Machine Learning for construction equipment’s sensor data by Prof. Joseph Louis, Oregon State Univ.
• Lean construction and processes by Prof. Iris D. Tommelein, UC Berkeley
• Collaborative robots and digital twins in construction by Prof. Johannes Fottner, TUM

The practical part of the course focuses on a project, in which students work with robot companies to evaluate their robots according to the Robotics Evaluation Framework (REF). The robot companies will introduce their robot to the class in a meet and greet session at the beginning of the quarter and later through a guest lecture. At the end of the course, the students will have to hand in their findings of their project in form of a report and shortly present their results included in the report.

More information on the course see https://cife.stanford.edu/cee327-construction-robotics

Lecture: Online (the students will get the access to the (guest) lectures which will be held in the US)

Project: In person

Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Brosque (Stanford University)

Exams

Pairs of students are matched with industry professionals who have used or are interested in using a robot application on a real-world project. This joint project is a significant part of the course performance.

At the end of the course, the students must hand in project deliverables, which will be graded. These deliverables are:

• A final presentation to the key findings of the project (20 minutes)
• A final report to the project work with the completed REF study

Dates

Start: 9th of April, 2024

Contact person

Supervisor: Anne Fischer, M. Sc.