BIM Fork: Are Smart Contracts in Construction More Likely to Prosper with or without BIM?

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel control system for the path planning of an omnidirectional mobile robot based on mixed reality. Most research on mobile robots is carried out in a completely real environment or a completely virtual environment. However, a real environment containing virtual objects has important actual applications. The proposed system can control the movement of the mobile robot in the real environment, as well as the interaction between the mobile robot's motion and virtual objects which can be added to a real environment. First, an interactive interface is presented in the mixed reality device HoloLens. The interface can display the map, path, control command, and other information related to the mobile robot, and it can add virtual objects to the real map to realize a real-time interaction between the mobile robot and the virtual objects. Then, the original path planning algorithm, vector field histogram* (VFH*), is modified in the aspects of the threshold, candidate direction selection, and cost function, to make it more suitable for the scene with virtual objects, reduce the number of calculations required, and improve the security. Experimental results demonstrated that this proposed method can generate the motion path of the mobile robot according to the specific requirements of the operator, and achieve a good obstacle avoidance performance.

Adoption of Blockchain Technology through Digital Twins in the Construction Industry 4.0: A PESTELS Approach

“…The political factors relate to the regulations of the BECOM industry and its limiting effects on the adoption of BCT due to a lack of regulations and policies for this new technology. Currently, the regulations on BCT are uncertain [2], and policy makers should admit the need for a new contractual and enforcement model leveraging BCT [4]. Hence, the BECOM industry needs regulatory changes to embrace digitization further [7].…”

“…There is also a lack of standardization for BCT [26], and there are compliance challenges between BCT and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) developed in Europe [28]. Moreover, proving ownership and liabilities is challenging [15], notably for the ownership of BIM models [4]. BCT and legal smart contracts can enforce accountability and non-repudiation through traceability of legal information, digital identities, and data ownership.…”

“…The BECOM Industry, as one of the largest industries in the world, faces key challenges such as decreasing productivity over the last decades compared to other manufacturing industries [1]. The BECOM industry is fragmented [2] as organizations work in silos in an adversarial manner [3], and the contractors act as central parties [4]. There are inefficiencies in the construction supply chain and rework due to miscommunication and inaccurate or inaccessible information, and this cost around $31 billion in the US construction industry in 2018 [5].…”

Exploratory literature review of blockchain in the construction industry

“…Zheng, et al, proposed a mobile device application which allowed users to verify on their portable computing device (e.g., phone, tablet, laptop) whether a BIM model is the most recent version, whereby, a hash of the BIM model is stored on the blockchain which allows a lookup service to cross-check the hash of a downloaded model with the hash stored on-chain, afterwards, the application would provide users with a verification receipt stating the model's validity [57]. On another note, a case study by Mason, et al, discussed how the effective logging of geometry and volume in BIM models can transition effectively into computable code for smart contracts [58].…”

Developing a theoretical framework for intelligent contract acceptance

“…All parties can access and modify a BIM Level 3 model, and the benefit is that it removes the final layer of risk for conflicting information. Through this integration with BIM is where open processes and data integration enabled by web services can focus on working within a new contractual framework (the iContract) that promotes consistency, clarity, openness and collaboration (Mason, 2019).…”