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Safe Human–Robot Collaboration With Risk Tunable Control Barrier Functions
Full text linkIn this article, we consider the problem of guaranteeing safety constraint satisfaction in human–robot collaboration (HRC) with uncertain human position. We pose this problem as a chance-constrained problem with safety (chance) constraints represented by uncertain control barrier functions, where the probability of safety constraint satisfaction under uncertainty is bounded by a tunable user-defined risk. We solve this stochastic optimization problem using a sampling-based approach and obtain a risk-tunable controller to safely accomplish HRC tasks. We demonstrate the safety and performance of this approach through both simulation and hardware experiments on a 7 degree-of-freedom Franka–Panda manipulator and characterize the tradeoff between the user-defined risk tolerance and task time efficiency in safety-critical applications
Sustainable Financing Strategies for Circular Infrastructure Projects: A Systematic Review and Pareto Analysis
No full textThe shift to circular infrastructure projects faces multiple obstacles, with funding access being a major hurdle. Stakeholders in the infrastructure sector are looking for ways to overcome this financial challenge while still achieving strong financial performance. The study aims to identify and prioritize the key sustainable financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. The study adopts a systematic literature review to identify 25 relevant studies to investigate the sustainable financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. Pareto analysis was then conducted to prioritize the key financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. The study identified 33 sustainable financing strategies which were then categorized into access to funds, cost management practices, government financial support, adoption of technology and innovation and project organizational initiatives. The findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the key sustainable financing strategies essential for successfully transitioning to circular infrastructure projects
Critical assets and value networks in resilient innovation ecosystems in the EU Outermost Regions
Full text linkThe authors share key insights gained regarding the effective management of critical assets in Resilient Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in the EU Outermost Regions (OR) through a program to “Discover, Incubate, and Accelerate Start-ups and SMEs” (DIAS) applied to 22 Start-Ups and SMEs in the Azores, Canaries, La Réunion and Madeira in the EU funded project “Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education in Europe’s Outermost Regions” (INCORE) project.
DIAS is an experimental inductive case-study based research approach using Qualitative Comparative Analysis for assessment based on Diffusion of Innovation, Value Network Analysis and Knowledge Diffusion concepts. It is used to determine when the persistent phenomenon of “unfair advantage” (in the form of an intensive nexūs of collaboration) in RIEs emerges.
The research results suggest that RIEs have archetypal structures that exist in multiple different constellations of relevant causal variables that may change dynamically over time. Identifying the currently most relevant archetypal structure is the most important step to identify what assets are critical at that specific evolutionary phase, and then selecting and applying the most suitable actionable interventions to accelerate the emergence of their RIEs through the encouragement of relevant swarm principles. The proposed change theory was not proven.
Due to the fractal and transformative nature of RIEs, the cases covered in this study are seen as sufficiently representative to arrive at insights that can support the strategically needed transformation of the regions\u27 entrepreneurial and innovation capacity
Future Perspectives on Enhancing the Delivery of Construction Projects Based on BIM Technology
Full text linkRecently, the construction industry stakeholders in developed and developing countries have been utilizing advanced technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) to help with the delivery of construction projects. This study aims to provide a future perspective on enhancing project delivery using BIM. In this paper, the authors explore the role of BIM in the delivery of a construction project throughout its lifecycle. This paper highlights the findings and benefits of BIM to explore BIM\u27s future use perspectives in the construction industry. Survey result indicates that the BIM applications are still limited, and further efforts are needed to improve its support of the construction project delivery
Ontology-based assembly sequence planning optimization in modular integrated construction manufacturing
Full text linkModular integrated construction (MiC) is recognized as an innovative approach that can help increase productivity in the construction industry. The manufacturing phase of a MiC project plays a significant role in production time, cost, and quality. An interesting observation is that the current production process in MiC factories still follows a similar and long-established construction paradigm and doesn’t enjoy the factory setup. A question is raised for MiC manufacturing whether the assembly sequence can be optimized or even revolutionized to embrace robotics and automation. This paper proposes an ontology-based assembly sequence planning optimization in MiC manufacturing to discuss the possible sequence rearrangement strategies. Firstly, an ontology, representing the assembly operations, the original work sequence, the absolute connection, the optimization connection, the geometrical constraint, and the spatial topological relations, is developed considering the characteristics of MiC manufacturing. Secondly, the assembly sequence planning can be optimized based on the developed ontology. Finally, three hypotheses are proposed to discuss the possible optimization results. The results can benefit production planning and improve productivity for the complicated manufacturing process of the MiC project
Smart building retrofitting acceptance model (SBRAM): a new angle of optimizing smart retrofitting of aged residential buildings
Full text linkAs society and techniques develop rapidly, people raise higher requirements for urban buildings where they live and work. Urban buildings should not only provide suitable space for kinds of activities, but also ensure occupants’ security and health, respond to the changing environments, and provide a better living environment for occupants. In order to improve age residential buildings, smart building retrofitting solutions are widely adopted, such as automatic control of indoor environment, activity detection, health monitoring, smart energy optimization, and other solutions based on IoT, digital twin, computer vision, and other techniques. Even lots of smart building retrofitting solutions have been proposed and applied, whether these new solutions can be accepted by occupants well is seldom concerned. For instance, occupants may not utilize all designed functions and learn the usage of smart techniques easily. A typical technology acceptance model (TAM) has been proposed to explain the interaction between end-users and techniques, but may not be suitable for smart building retrofitting, which is based on new intelligent techniques especially for buildings. This study develops a newsmart building retrofitting acceptance model (SBRAM) for smart building retrofitting by involving different occupant groups and diverse techniques. An experiment and survey are designed and conducted to verify the SBRAM model by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). This study comes up with a new angle to review smart building retrofitting solutions besides the accuracy of the technique itself, guiding the approach to retrofitting smart buildings by concerning more about occupant-technique interactions
The Roles of Architects and Urban Designers in Facility Management
No full textThis study explores the distinct roles of architects in building-level Facility Management (FM) and urban designers in Urban-Scale Facility Management (Urban FM) to bridge the gap between design and facility operations. By clarifying these roles, the research aims to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring that FM principles are integrated from the early design stages to improve long-term sustainability, efficiency, and resilience in both buildings and urban environments. A scoping literature review was conducted to examine existing research on FM, Urban FM, and the contributions of architects and urban designers. The study reviewed academic literature to identify best practices, challenges, and knowledge gaps. A comparative analysis was applied to distinguish the responsibilities of architects and urban designers. The study highlights the fragmentation between design and FM practices and identifies the need for greater collaboration between architects, urban designers, and FM professionals. While architects influence building-level performance, urban designers contribute to urban-scale infrastructure, connectivity, and public space usability. The research underscores technological integration (BIM, IoT, and smart city tools) as essential for optimizing FM across scales. This study relies on secondary data from existing literature. Future research should incorporate empirical case studies and industry stakeholder interviews to validate findings and propose implementation frameworks. This research offers a structured differentiation of architects’ and urban designers’ roles in FM, emphasizing their importance in sustainable facility operations. It provides a foundation for policy development, interdisciplinary education, and FM-integrated design strategies
Enhancing Indoor Thermal Comfort in Educational Settings through Adaptive HVAC Control and Seating Recommendations
No full textTraditional HVAC systems in educational buildings often fail to meet the diverse thermal comfort needs of students due to their reliance on generalized standards such as ASHRAE guidelines. This lack of adaptability could lead to reduced comfort and productivity of students , as well as limited options for them to adjust to their environments. Changing clothing insulation levels seems to be the most practical solution for them. Consequently, the goal of this research is to enhance thermal comfort in the educational indoor environment, specifically focusing on classrooms, by developing a method to create individual thermal profiles for students and apply these profiles to adaptive HVAC control and seating arrangement suggestions. Using data from the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II, we constructed individual thermal profiles based on key occupant parameters such as age, gender, metabolic rate, and clothing insulation levels. By utilizing the provided empirical thermal sensation votes under diverse environmental conditions, an adaptive HVAC control strategy which dynamically adjusts setpoint temperatures based on occupants’ thermal profiles is developed. Rather than relying solely on generalized ASHRAE 55 standards, this approach integrates predictive modeling and user-centric control, ensuring a more tailored thermal environment which aligns with individual needs. Besides, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations in Rhino Grasshopper were employed to analyze and compare thermal conditions in a classroom under baseline and adaptive HVAC scenarios, as well as with optimized seat arrangements. The findings indicate that adaptive HVAC control significantly reduces discomfort and increases occupant satisfaction by lowering the percentage of dissatisfied individuals and making thermal comfort votes closer to a neutral and agreeable level. This research introduces a novel framework for integrating adaptive thermal management into educational settings, offering a pathway to personalized and energy-efficient environmental controls
Feasibility Study on the Installation of Elevators in Old Residential Buildings in Beijing from the Perspective of dual aging – A case study of Xinjiekou Sub-district in Xicheng District
Full text linkWith the continuous evolution of urban and rural construction models in China, the installation of elevators in old residential communities has become a critical public welfare project aimed at enhancing residents\u27 quality of life and improving mobility. Beijing is facing a dual aging challenge characterized by a high degree of population aging and significant community aging, resulting in an extensive and urgent demand for elevator installations in old residential communities. This paper focuses on the dual aging context, systematically analyzing the influencing factors of elevator installation in such communities, summarizing common installation methods and their applicable scenarios, and conducting an in-depth feasibility study based on cases from the Xinjiekou Subdistrict of Xicheng District, Beijing. The goal is to establish a comprehensive preliminary feasibility assessment framework for elevator installation in old residential communities, thereby developing a feasibility evaluation checklist for elevator installation projects in Beijing\u27s old urban areas. This research aims to accelerate the implementation of elevator installation projects in old residential communities in Beijing and provide a reference for similar feasibility assessments in other aging communities
Technologies Innovations for the Brazilian Construction Companies Digital Transformation
Full text linkThe sustainable industrialization and innovation became a recent target in the construction industry, recognized as one of the least digitized sectors in the world. The digital technologies that constitute construction 4.0 can be introduced in all areas or processes of the construction companies with the overall objective of increasing productivity, simplifying work and reducing errors. This paper investigated the main motivations and challenges for digital technologies implementation by construction companies. The research design involved a descriptive and exploratory approach, whose procedure included a literature review to prepare the checklist used in data collection for the case study of six construction companies in the Recife city in Brazil. Data analysis ranked the motivation, training, barriers and benefits of digital transformation in construction companies and the implementation of digital technologies in percentage terms. The key findings show that BIM is the digital technology of greatest interest to construction companies, and that implementation begins in the design development process. Furthermore, the implementation costs and conservatism culture represent the main barriers for construction companies digital transformation. The paper main contribution is the digitalization in construction companies diagnosis, whose findings can help in defining actions for digital transformation in similar context