ABSTRACT
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) are aircraft without human pilots on board. Initially intended for military purposes, over the years their civilian use has gained wide popularity and acceptance. The fast-growing UAS market has stimulated the expansion of its application in various sectors of the economy, including construction. In recent years, various applications of UAS in the construction industry from site inspection to safety monitoring or building maintenance have been proposed and several implemented. Commercial UASs are compact, inexpensive, and remotely controlled; they can access spaces that are inaccessible to people or manned aircraft and have the capabilities to handle various construction related tasks in less time and at a lower cost. New generations of UASs also require minimal human involvement, which might lead to lower risk on jobsites. With advancements in sensors, power supply, and autonomous features, UASs have become a much more reliable platform for many construction applications. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of UAS technology, its construction applications, current challenges and benefits of its implementation, and its future uses, which is part of the new production paradigm, called Construction 4.0. Initially, UAS definition and its technical aspects such as vehicle types, forms of control, human-UAS interaction and UAS flight team, data collection sensors, cost, and flight regulations around the world will be discussed. Then UAS application in various pre-, during-, and post-construction phases will be discussed focusing on the logic behind using UASs in each potential application and its benefits. Finally, UAS implementation challenges such as liability and legal concerns, safety challenges, and training requirements will be reviewed. The construction industry can become more efficient and transparent in terms of real-time monitoring and inspections at all stages of construction projects by employing UAS technology, facilitating bi-directional coordination between virtual models and physical construction, as well.
