Research
Research Areas
Automation and Robotics
We are primarily interested in creating collaborative autonomous robots for construction, assembly, and maintenance of civil infrastructure. Our research has focused on finding solutions to the robot localization, pose estimation, scene understanding, and imitation learning problems in unstructured and evolving environments.
Real-Time Digital Twins
We are primarily interested in developing real-time applications for monitoring co-robotized and visibility-constrained construction processes. Our research has focused on enabling real-time visualization, which involves monitoring and controlling an ongoing construction operation from within a full-featured 3D Digital Twin.
Extended Reality
We are primarily interested in developing georeferenced augmented reality solutions for civil engineering problems. Our research has focused on studying the augmented reality registration, occlusion, and animation problems in both indoor and outdoor environments, as well as building mobile augmented reality hardware platforms.
Visual Simulation
We are primarily interested in developing visualization tools for animating the performance of construction activities at the operations level of detail. Our research has focused on finding solutions to the terrain modeling, equipment kinematics, product modeling, and graphical animation problems in the context of construction visual simulation.
Current Research Projects
FW-HTF-R: Collaborative Research: Partnering Workers with Interactive Robot Assistants to Usher Transformation in Future Construction Work
This project investigates if construction work can be conceived as a human-robot partnership, where human workers play the critical role of planning the work, and training and supervising robotic assistants to adapt to presented workspace conditions and perform useful work. The project team is integrating advances in interactive task learning, mixed reality, and reinforcement learning to enable construction workers to naturally collaborate with robot assistants through direct physical interaction and virtual supervision and training.
SCC-IRG Track 1: Advancing Human-Centered Sociotechnical Research for Enabling Independent Mobility in People with Physical Disabilities
This project engages a broad group of stakeholders with converging disability perspectives (e.g., veterans with disabilities), patient care expertise, and experience in public service to create a user-centered autonomy that will enable people with physical disabilities to independently control their travel needs. The project scope will focus on individuals without any significant impairment in upper extremity function and/or sensory and cognitive domains, opening the door for future translational research that will extend research outcomes to other groups with diverse abilities.
Predicting Driver Takeover Performance in Conditional Automation (Level 3) through Physiological Sensing
This project aims to understand drivers’ capabilities of taking over an Automated Vehicle (AV) safely and promptly at any time in level 3 automation. The research advances understanding in human factors in level 3 AVs. This is achieved through an integrated treatment of the drivers’ Takeover Performance (TOP) measured and predicted through physiological features and driving environment data in level 3 AVs.
Completed Research Projects
National Science Foundation (NSF): FW-HTF-P: Redesigning the Future of Construction Work by Replicating the Master-Apprentice Learning Model in Human-Robot Worker Teams, 2020-2021.
Guardian Glass: Design Ecologies of Glass, 2019-2020.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Non-Intrusive Interpretation and Improvement of Multi-Occupancy Human Thermal Comfort through Analysis of Facial Infrared Thermography, 2018-2021.
National Science Foundation (NSF): NRI: FND: Predictive Monitoring and Intervention for Safe Human-Robot Collaboration in Unstructured and Dynamic Construction Environments, 2017-2020.
National Science Foundation (NSF): CRISP Type 2: Interdependencies in Community Resilience (ICoR): A Simulation Framework, 2016-2020.
Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE): Computing Infrastructure for a Multi-Criteria Wireless Sensing and Real-Time Visualization Network for Intelligent Firefighting, 2016-2017.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Scalable and Autonomous Post-Event Subsurface Characterization from UAV-based Quantitative Surface Measurements, 2014-2017.
National Science Foundation (NSF): REU Supplement to PFI: AIR Technology Translation - Development and Evaluation of Field Prototype for Determining Excavator Proximity to Buried Utilities, 2013-2015.
National Science Foundation (NSF): PFI: AIR Technology Translation - Development and Evaluation of Field Prototype for Determining Excavator Proximity to Buried Utilities, 2013-2015.
National Science Foundation (NSF): I-Corps: Determining Excavator Proximity to Buried Utilities, 2013-2014.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Collaborative Research: Correlating Geospatial Data Lineage and Positional Accuracy for Excavation Damage Prevention, 2013-2016.
National Science Foundation (NSF): GOALI: Georeferenced Visualization and Emulated Proximity Monitoring for Real Time Knowledge-Based Excavator Control, 2012-2015.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) – Department of Transportation: Exploratory Analysis of Augmented Reality Visualization for Right-of-Way Excavation Safety, 2013-2014.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Context-Aware Information Access for Rapid On-Site Decision Making in Construction, Maintenance, and Inspection of Civil Infrastructure Systems, 2009-2013.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): Cyber-Enabled Wireless Monitoring Systems for the Protection of Deteriorating National Infrastructure Systems, 2009-2014.
National Science Foundation (NSF): A Robust Method for Resolving Incorrect Visual Occlusion in Dynamic Augmented Reality Environments of Animated Engineering Operations, 2008-2013.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Rapid Post-Disaster Reconnaissance for Building Damage Using Augmented Situational Visualization and Simulation Technology, 2007-2011.
National Science Foundation (NSF): CAREER: Interactive Process Visualization in Virtual and Augmented Reality for Innovative Learning, Analysis, and Design of Field Construction Operations, 2005-2011.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Inverse Kinematics and Interoperability Standards for Visualization of Construction Activities at the Operations Level of Detail, 2004–2007.
National Science Foundation (NSF): NEESR-II Highly Damage Tolerant and Intelligent Slab-Column Frame Systems Through Combination of Advanced Materials and Embedded Wireless Sensing, 2004–2007.