Zhou, S and Gheisari, M (2018) Unmanned aerial system applications in construction: a systematic review. Construction Innovation, 18(4), pp. 453-468. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose: Over the past decade, researchers have used unmanned aerial systems (UASs) in construction industry for various applications from site inspection to safety monitoring or building maintenance. This paper aims to assort academic studies on construction UAS applications, summarize logics behind using UAS in each application and extend understanding of current state of UAS research in the construction setting. Design/methodology/approach: This research follows a systematic literature assessment methodology to summarize the results of 54 research papers over the past ten years and outlines the research trends for applying UASs in construction. Findings: UASs are used in building inspection, damage assessment, site surveying, safety inspection, progress monitoring, building maintenance and other construction applications. Cost saving, time efficiency and improved accessibility are the primary reasons for choosing UAS in construction applications. Rotary-wing UASs are the most common types of UASs being used in construction. Cameras, LiDAR and Kinect are the most common onboard sensors integrated in construction UAS applications. The control styles used are manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous. Originality/value: This paper contributes to classification of UAS applications in construction research and identification of UAS hardware and sensor types as well as their flying control systems in construction literature.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; drone; literature review; sensor; unmanned aerial system; unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Index terms: | literature review, time efficiency, progress monitoring, surveying, construction industry, systematic literature review, damage assessment, unmanned aerial vehicle, monitoring, building maintenance, drone, methodology, inspection, control system, cost saving, accessibility, safety inspection, research paper, hardware |
| Subjects: | inclusive design, quality assurance, data analysis and analytics, automation and robotics, research methods, health monitoring assessment and metrics, computer hardware, project controls, management, control systems, industry analysis, monitoring and control, economics, construction type, research evaluation and metrics, research dissemination and communication, structural engineering |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Digital Applications, Cost Management, Construction Technology, Site Management, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Design Practice, Engineering Principles, Time Control, Information Management, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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