Feasibility study for drone-based masonry construction of real-scale structures

The additive manufacturing of real scale structures using UAVs (drones) is a new discipline with challenges as wide as the possibilities it opens up for the future. UAVs must not be seen as the only way of robotizing future construction sites, but in combination with other kinds of robots. This adequate combination is indeed likely to reduce the influence of factors that usually badly affect the quality and profitability of construction projects, such as human factors, execution slowness, insecurity, insufficient communication between the stakeholders, weather conditions, strikes, lack of skilled labor, etc. The aim of this research, carried out jointly by MIT and UCLouvain since 3 years, was to lay the necessary groundwork, still not explored elsewhere, in order to prove the feasibility of building real-scale structures, in particular masonry structures, with big custom-built drones. In particular, the objective was to investigate the drones precision, their behavior while transporting, handling and laying loads, but also to draw the first guidelines for the design of Drone compatible construction elements: their shape, the way they should be assembled together, how to minimize their weight, how to connect them together, how to ensure their stability. This publication summarizes the work carried out so far in this field, provides the results of the laboratory tests and proposes development and improvement paths for the future. In particular, lab tests with a big drone assembling different kinds of more and more complex construction elements are commented. Several conclusions can be drawn from the study, the first one being that the research is worth going beyond the step of proving the feasibility. Indeed, it shows that using UAVs for the construction of future real scale structures is certainly not a utopia and is very promising. However, it requires further developments, not only about the drone themselves (guiding systems, handling systems, robustness, power supply), but also about the way to pass from the laboratory stage to the construction of real structures with a complex geometry, composed of slabs, walls, connections and finishing.