Work

BIM-Enabled Simulation for Efficiency-Driven Operation of Autonomous Material Transport Robots in Construction Sites

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Construction sites are beginning to deploy material transport robots to relieve labor constraints; however, planning and validating robot operations within complex, evolving building layouts remain difficult. This study proposes a BIM-enabled simulation framework that connects building information to enable an objective pre-deployment evaluation. The method extracts navigable spaces, delivery points and material quantities from BIM, formulates dispatching as a capacity-constrained vehicle routing problem, and couples it with an A* algorithm for pathfinding. A greedy next-stop decision rule with a tunable correction factor governs whether the robot continues visiting additional stops or returns to the staging area. The experimental results show a more than 20% improvement in the travel efficiency of the robot compared with conventional algorithms. These results conclude that the framework offers a practical tool for what-if analysis and data-driven planning of robotized construction logistics and is readily extensible to diverse materials and project types.

Source: Buildings

DOI: 10.3390/buildings16153070

Authors: Tae Hun Hong, Jae Yeong Cho, Jin Gang Lee

Institution: Korea University of Technology and Education

Language: English

Topic: BIM and Construction Integration

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137