Design and Development of Virtual Reality Environment for Human-Robot Interaction on Construction Site

Abstract

The use of robots to enhance construction safety and optimise productivity is gaining traction given the high incidence of hazards on-site and dwindling productivity in light of an increased surge in infrastructure demands. Previous studies have shown that construction robots can deliver much-needed gains in the built environment. Still, use cases are underexamined, and high training costs require applications of novel innovations such as virtual reality to reduce cost and enhance human-robot teaming. Therefore, as a case study, this study presents the technical design and development of a virtual reality (VR) environment to examine users’ perspectives on human-robot interaction on the construction site with delivery drones. This study subsequently explains the workflow involved in the design and development of the virtual environment by discussing the technical and functional requirements attributed to the applications and developing the virtual environment to mimic real-life construction environments.