Conceptual Design of a Robotic Building Envelope Assessment System for Energy Efficiency

Xuchu Xu, Daniel Lu, Bilal Sher, Sunglyoung Kim, Abhishek Rathod, Semiha Ergan, Chen Feng

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Building air leakage and moisture issues can result in significant energy loss, shorten the building envelope life cycle, and require additional maintenance costs. While these issues present risks to a building and its occupants, they could be difficult to detect during building maintenance and early stages of retrofit projects. Currently, mapping air leakage and moisture issues over a building’s envelope relies on manual inspections. These methods are intrusive, expensive, and hazardous to inspectors’ safety. To address these challenges, we propose a non-invasive and safe conceptual solution, a Robotic Envelope Assessment System for Energy Efficiency (EASEEbot), to locate and document moisture intrusion, thermal bridges, and air leaks. EASEEbot is a high-power wall climbing drone and comes with a multi-function toolbox. It can capture 3D thermal images and auto-generate 3D models using image-based Structure from Motion (SfM) and Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM). Our deep learning algorithms will rapidly identify common building envelope defects from multi-modal sensing data. EASEEbot is also designed with a tethered wall-climbing mode and will use long-wave ground penetrating radar (GPR) to detect hidden trapped interstitial moisture and other major envelope defects.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 38th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, ISARC 2021
EditorsChen Feng, Thomas Linner, Ioannis Brilakis
PublisherInternational Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC)
Pages653-660
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9789526952413
StatePublished - 2021
Event38th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, ISARC 2021 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Duration: Nov 2 2021Nov 4 2021

Publication series

NameProceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction
Volume2021-November
ISSN (Electronic)2413-5844

Conference

Conference38th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, ISARC 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited Arab Emirates
CityDubai
Period11/2/2111/4/21

Keywords

  • Building Envelope Inspection
  • Building Moisture
  • Remote Inspection System
  • Thermal Leak Detection

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Building and Construction
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Civil and Structural Engineering

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