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Abstract
There has been a large increase in the deployment of aerial and ground robots in construction, and it is expected that there will be more interaction between construction individuals and these robots on construction sites. Working in close proximity to these aerial and ground robots raises novel occupational safety and health issues that might make the construction industry more dangerous than before. While there has been a significant amount of research about how robotic technology can be used for specific construction-related tasks, further research is required to empirically evaluate the potential safety impacts of working with or near aerial and ground robots on the jobsite. This study employs virtual reality technology to study the safety impacts of construction individuals working at different distances from aerial and ground robots. Two user-centered experiments were conducted: (1) Human-Drone Proxemics; and (2) Human-Four-Legged Robot Proxemics. Study I aimed at empirically evaluating the impact of working at different distances from drones on construction individuals’ physiological, emotional, and attentional states, as well as their attitude towards drones. Study II focused on empirically evaluating the impact of working at different distances from four-legged robots on construction individuals’ physiological, emotional, and attentional states, as well as their situational awareness, risk perception, and attitudes towards four-legged robots. Study I revealed that drone presence has some physiological impacts and reduces construction indidivuals’ attention on the tasks at hand. Moreover, drones operating at some distance cause more distraction to individuals than drones operating in close proximity. Drones were not found to either cause significant psychological or emotional distress or affect construction individuals’ attitude towards them. Study II results showed that the distance from the four-legged robot had a significant impact on construction individuals' attentional states (particularly fixation count) but had no significant effect on their physiological states, situational awareness, risk perception, or attitudes towards four-legged robots. The safety knowledge generated through this study will not only help in better understanding safe aerial and ground robot integration in construction operations but could also lead to formalizing comprehensive regulations for robot use in construction.