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Robotics In Infrastructure: Reimagining Energy, Water, & Transportation Monitoring And Maintenance With Intelligent Tools
April 29, 2015
Briefing in conjunction with the Congressional Robotics Caucus
Hosted by the Robotics Caucus Advisory Committee
Featuring Robotics Caucus Co-Chairs
Congressman Rob Woodall (GA) and Congressman Mike Doyle (PA)
Wednesday, 29 April 2015, 2253 Rayburn House Office Building
Lunch will be Provided
This is a widely attended event
RSVP to: [email protected]
You may have heard the story on NPR a few months ago: “Roadbot Fixes Highway Cracks In Milliseconds.” Please join us for a briefing featuring the developer of that technology and others to examine how robotics technologies can provide intelligent tools to transform the way we repair and maintain our nation’s infrastructure.
Speakers:
- Dr. Nathan Michael, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
- Dr. Burcu Akinci, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
- Mr. Jonathan Holmes, Georgia Tech Research Institute
- Dr. Mani Golparvar-Fard, University of Illinois
- Dr. George Kantor, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
It is no secret that our aging, and failing, infrastructure of roads, bridges, lines, and pipes looms as an impending national crisis. During the 2014-2015 winter it seemed as if there was a daily newsworthy water main break or car-eating pothole. The projected annual cost to sustain the nation’s existing roads and bridges alone exceeds $91.1 billion. If you include aging energy, water, and communication infrastructure, by 2020, the cost will be more than $3.6 trillion.
A new class of intelligent tools that can augment the productivity of the workforce to address these challenges is emerging. Examples include tools that could enable more frequent, precise, and consistent bridge inspection and painting; tools for power line evaluation and maintenance that can make these activities not only more frequent but also safer; tools for more efficiently identifying and removing potential debris hazards along roadways; and tools for more efficient inspection and maintenance of reservoir facilities.
Amazing advances in the capabilities of robots in mining, construction, and agriculture have occurred. However, the ability of robots to interact with their surroundings is still mainly limited to spatial navigation and controlled manipulation. Enabling this new class of intelligent robotic tools which can interact with their surroundings could transform the way we repair, inspect, and maintain infrastructure.
