BIM-based simulation of construction robotics in the assembly process of wood frames

One main challenge in the development/implementation of construction robotics is the need of accurate and explicit information as input for the robots to reliably perform the designated tasks. Building information modeling (BIM) can fill this gap by providing information to the construction phase that utilizes automated fabrication. However, current BIM authoring tools and construction workflows do not directly support robotic simulation and are not designed to be compatible with robotic technologies. Thus, the authors developed a simulation-based methodology to evaluate the automated assembly of wood frames. Results showed that the robotic assembly process was successfully simulated/analyzed on three test cases. Compared to manually creating such robotic simulations, the proposed approach was on average 39 times faster and is expected to dramatically reduce errors from design to build. The proposed approach opens a new door for practitioners to analyze a building design related to the use of robotics for its construction.