Unmanned Aerial Systems in the U.S. Construction Industry: Exploratory Study on Current State of Practice

9 pages•Published: May 15, 2022

Spoorthy Venkatesh Prakash, Caroline Clevenger and Manideep Tummalapudi

Abstract

Recent advancements in the construction industry include the expanding application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. These advancements result in significant increases in technical capabilities within construction as well as time and money- savings. Despite their abilities to improve efficiency by enhancing construction processes and practices, little is known about the current state of applications and the barriers to UASs successful adoption. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the current state of UASs practice for various applications within the construction industry by providing a literature review and a series of interviews with construction professionals and UAS pilots. The outcome identifies key UASs applications including pre-construction, surveying, project progress monitoring, safety management, and quality management. In addition, the study documents low awareness of UASs applications among construction professionals, and outlines professional training requirements, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensing requirements, capital requirements, and a range of implementation challenges. Understanding the applications of UASs in construction supports construction firms to achieve improved efficiencies in various construction activities where UASs can be deployed.

Keyphrases: applications, barriers, drones, uav in construction, unmanned aerial systems

In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 3, pages 479-487.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/pqDw
	https://doi.org/10.29007/hws2

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2022:Unmanned_Aerial_Systems_U.S.,
  author    = {Spoorthy Venkatesh Prakash and Caroline Clevenger and Manideep Tummalapudi},
  title     = {Unmanned Aerial Systems in the U.S. Construction Industry: Exploratory Study on Current State of Practice},
  booktitle = {ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {3},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/pqDw},
  doi       = {10.29007/hws2},
  pages     = {479-487},
  year      = {2022}}

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