Alipouri, Y; Bokharaeian, A and Monfared, E (2025) Construction labor activity recognition via an imu-implemented wristband. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 151(11): 04025182, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Human labor is a pivotal element in determining project costs and overall success within the construction industry, necessitating robust monitoring of workers' productivity, well-being, and the cultivation of a sufficient and constructive association between workers and employers. The initial step in productivity assessment is the accurate identification of workers' activities. Accordingly, this research focuses on recognizing and classifying construction workers' activities as a critical step toward improving productivity and fostering fairness within the industry. This study presents a novel framework for classifying construction workers' activities using a custom-designed wristband embedded with an inertial measurement unit (IMU), comprising an accelerometer and a gyroscope. A one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) model was developed to process the captured data and accurately classify various activities. The activities examined included masonry, tiling, painting, shoveling, and sawing. The proposed approach demonstrated an accuracy exceeding 99% under controlled laboratory conditions and achieved 96% accuracy in identifying painting activity in simulated real-world conditions. These findings, marked by both high precision and the diverse range of activities recognized, highlight the robustness of the proposed method and provide a strong foundation for future research in this field.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | inertial measurement unit-implemented wristband; labor activity recognition; one-dimensional convolutional neural network |
| Index terms: | well-being, laboratory, project cost, accuracy, neural network, fairness, monitoring, construction labour, construction industry, construction worker, activity recognition, productivity |
| Subjects: | practitioner, leadership, research management, control systems, mental health and wellbeing, artificial intelligence, modelling and simulation, professional development, economics, management, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Information Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Site Management, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here