Challenge Statement 2: Extending productive hours for construction sites

Noise restrictions, for workers’ welfare and nuisance control, limit the operating hours on a construction site. By exploring solutions that enable remote controlled or highly automated operations of various quiet construction tasks, construction can continue within the restricted noise levels after the traditional “noisy hours”. The construction site productivity can be improved without compromising worker welfare and affecting nearby users/residents.

General requirements

• Solution considers safety when being deployed
• Proposal quantifies improvement over conventional methods - noise reduction, manpower, productivity, cost.
• Includes a construction industry partner in the team.
• Solutions should be TRL 5 to 7 (i.e. must have at least a prototype tested in controlled environment)
• Access to a potential trial/testbed site is a plus point.

Solution Specific requirements

If robotic solution proposed:

1. Robot capability should cover Sensing, Mapping, Navigation, Collision avoidance (most fit for purpose in the construction site).
2. Address potential for integration with other systems (eg 3D BIM models, other common digital platforms).
3. Addresses infrastructure required by robotics on the construction site (power source, communications, fleet management, etc.).
4. Include operating procedures/best practises for robots.
5. State the (quiet) construction task it is trying to automate. Robots should make tasks highly automated.
6. Subject matter expert with relevant experience in the project team for the construction task they are trying to automate.

1. Construction site can continue to be productive afterhours while ensuring minimal noise and dust generation.
2. Increase manpower productivity by at least 100% or reduce labour reliance by 50% during afterhours work at the construction site.
3. Proposed solution is cost effective in comparison to conventional methods.
4. Ensures safety of workers during the afterhours work.

1. Nuisance (noise & dust) mitigation solutions for construction.
2. Remote monitoring or digital solution to improve work safety at night.
3. Robotic solution to allow works to be conducted after hours with reduced manpower.
4. Design solutions and guidelines to enable quieter construction and/or robotics operations

Applicants are encouraged to propose phases of development and delivery.

Total project period shall not exceed 12 months.

A proposed timeline is as follows:

1. Adaption of prototype/solution to fit construction operating environment
2. Testing & validating prototype/solutions on the actual construction environment
3. Refinement & iterations

Specific site visit will be arranged after award of the project due to current Covid-19 situation.

Applicants are encouraged to team up with other solutions providers that have relevant technologies for system integration into a more holistic solution. E.g. Company specialising in 3D mapping solution can team up with company specialising in mobility solutions to come up with a semi/fully autonomous robotic 3D scanning robot. The same company may also engage the services of building professionals with the relevant construction expertise to understand the end-user requirements and expected performance specifications to ensure that the solution would meet the key functional requirements.