Automated construction quality assessment: A review

Abstract

Post-construction quality assessment is an integrated part of any construction project which plays a vital role for the entire project. Existing repetitive, labor intensive and less productive manual inspection methods make the construction quality assessment automation a necessary research topic. In contrast to the manual inspection methods, recent advances in robotic technologies and low cost sensors have opened the doors of automatic assessment techniques. Motivated by these recent developments, this study surveys the state-of-the-art post-construction quality assessment methods. Thermal imaging analysis methods, 3D laser scan measurement and mobile robot applications are briefly examined. It is concluded that infra-red thermography (IRT) and 3D laser scanner are the most useful tools for automated construction quality assessment robotic systems (A-CONQUARS) in the building sector to introduce more efficient construction inspection techniques. The upcoming challenges of A-CONQUARS are highlighted and their promising opportunities are also elaborated.