Mobile robots are deployed in the built environment at increasing rates. However, lack of conside... more Mobile robots are deployed in the built environment at increasing rates. However, lack of considerations for a robot-inclusive planning has led to physical spaces that would potentially pose hazards to robots, and contribute to an overall productivity decline for mobile service robots. This research proposes the use of an adapted Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) as a structured tool to evaluate a building’s level of robot-inclusivity and safety for service robot deployments. This Robot-Inclusive FMEA (RIFMEA) framework, is used to identify failures in the built environment that compromise the workflow of service robots, assess their effects and causes, and provide recommended actions to alleviate these problems. The method was supported with a case study of deploying telepresence robots in a university campus. The study concluded that common failures were related to poor furniture design, a lack of clearance and hazard indicators, and sub-optimal interior planning.
The current drain maintenance process is labour intensive and dangerous for human workers in the ... more The current drain maintenance process is labour intensive and dangerous for human workers in the dark, slippery and confined space of the drain network. Robotic aid is a solution to such manpower risks, but the existing drain network system is not designed for efficient robot inspection. This paper discusses the need of robot-inclusive guidelines for robot deployment for drain inspection in the context of Singapore drains. This would assist in prolonging the robot's operational lifespan, and cut down occupational hazards and safety risks faced by human workers in the drain inspection process. Derivation of these robot-inclusive guidelines is determined through the study of existing inspection robots and the case study of Raptor, a four-wheeled drain inspection robot. By studying the issues that the Raptor robot faces during deployment, drain design spatial considerations can be made in order to assist existing and future drain inspection robots in performing their tasks efficiently.
False ceilings are often utilised in residential and commercial spaces as a way to contain and co... more False ceilings are often utilised in residential and commercial spaces as a way to contain and conceal necessary but unattractive building infrastructure, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services. Concealing such elements has made it difficult to perform periodic inspection safely for maintenance. To complement this, there have been increasing research interests in mobile robots in recent years that are capable of accessing hard-to-reach locations, thus allowing workers to perform inspections remotely. However, current initiatives are met with challenges arising from unstructured site conditions that hamper the robot’s productivity for false ceiling inspection. The paper adopts a top-down approach known as “Design for Robots”, taking into account four robot-inclusive design principles: activity, accessibility, safety, observability. Falcon, a class of inspection robots, was used as a benchmark to identify spatial constraints according to the four principles. Following...
Vertical gardens have emerged alongside the increase in urban density and land scarcity to reinte... more Vertical gardens have emerged alongside the increase in urban density and land scarcity to reintegrate greenery in the built environment. Existing maintenance for vertical gardens is labour-intensive, time-consuming and is being increasingly complemented by robotic applications. While research has been focused on enhancing robot design to improve productivity, minimal effort has been done on ‘design for robots’ in creating suitable environments for optimal robot deployments. This paper proposed a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together architects, designers, and roboticians to adapt the design of the vertical garden infrastructure to counteract the limitations of the maintenance robot. A case study on an existing plant maintenance robot ‘Urodela’ was conducted to determine the limitations encountered by robotic aid during operation. A robot-inclusive modular design for vertical gardens is proposed based on robot-inclusive principles, namely manipulability and safety, along ...
Mobile robots are deployed in the built environment at increasing rates. However, lack of conside... more Mobile robots are deployed in the built environment at increasing rates. However, lack of considerations for a robot-inclusive planning has led to physical spaces that would potentially pose hazards to robots, and contribute to an overall productivity decline for mobile service robots. This research proposes the use of an adapted Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) as a structured tool to evaluate a building’s level of robot-inclusivity and safety for service robot deployments. This Robot-Inclusive FMEA (RIFMEA) framework, is used to identify failures in the built environment that compromise the workflow of service robots, assess their effects and causes, and provide recommended actions to alleviate these problems. The method was supported with a case study of deploying telepresence robots in a university campus. The study concluded that common failures were related to poor furniture design, a lack of clearance and hazard indicators, and sub-optimal interior planning.
The current drain maintenance process is labour intensive and dangerous for human workers in the ... more The current drain maintenance process is labour intensive and dangerous for human workers in the dark, slippery and confined space of the drain network. Robotic aid is a solution to such manpower risks, but the existing drain network system is not designed for efficient robot inspection. This paper discusses the need of robot-inclusive guidelines for robot deployment for drain inspection in the context of Singapore drains. This would assist in prolonging the robot's operational lifespan, and cut down occupational hazards and safety risks faced by human workers in the drain inspection process. Derivation of these robot-inclusive guidelines is determined through the study of existing inspection robots and the case study of Raptor, a four-wheeled drain inspection robot. By studying the issues that the Raptor robot faces during deployment, drain design spatial considerations can be made in order to assist existing and future drain inspection robots in performing their tasks efficiently.
False ceilings are often utilised in residential and commercial spaces as a way to contain and co... more False ceilings are often utilised in residential and commercial spaces as a way to contain and conceal necessary but unattractive building infrastructure, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services. Concealing such elements has made it difficult to perform periodic inspection safely for maintenance. To complement this, there have been increasing research interests in mobile robots in recent years that are capable of accessing hard-to-reach locations, thus allowing workers to perform inspections remotely. However, current initiatives are met with challenges arising from unstructured site conditions that hamper the robot’s productivity for false ceiling inspection. The paper adopts a top-down approach known as “Design for Robots”, taking into account four robot-inclusive design principles: activity, accessibility, safety, observability. Falcon, a class of inspection robots, was used as a benchmark to identify spatial constraints according to the four principles. Following...
Vertical gardens have emerged alongside the increase in urban density and land scarcity to reinte... more Vertical gardens have emerged alongside the increase in urban density and land scarcity to reintegrate greenery in the built environment. Existing maintenance for vertical gardens is labour-intensive, time-consuming and is being increasingly complemented by robotic applications. While research has been focused on enhancing robot design to improve productivity, minimal effort has been done on ‘design for robots’ in creating suitable environments for optimal robot deployments. This paper proposed a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together architects, designers, and roboticians to adapt the design of the vertical garden infrastructure to counteract the limitations of the maintenance robot. A case study on an existing plant maintenance robot ‘Urodela’ was conducted to determine the limitations encountered by robotic aid during operation. A robot-inclusive modular design for vertical gardens is proposed based on robot-inclusive principles, namely manipulability and safety, along ...
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Papers by matthew yeo