The Study in Using an Autonomous Robot for Pavement Inspection

Abstract

Traditionally pavement inspections are conducted using manually operated instruments, and hence are very labor-intensive. In this study, the authors propose the idea of using an autonomous robot to perform the pavement inspections, including for evenness and distress. Because inspection instruments are assumed to be mounted on the robot's platform, this robot is capable of inspecting pavement conditions while at the same time planning the upcoming motion path according to the inspection results. Working concurrently in this way significantly reduces the overall inspection time and amount of data to be stored. The authors propose four motion planning methods for robots: a transversal path planning method, a longitudinal path planning method, a random walk method, and an obstacle avoidance method. This paper presents the application of the motion planning methods to different pavement inspection tasks. It also illustrates the inspection process in a predefined inspection area, and in an inspection area that has random obstacles. The results of this research are suitable for use with a commercial robot to achieve the goal of robotic pavement inspections.

BIZON–UGV for Airport Pavement Testing: Mechanics and Control

“…When neglecting slip phenomena of the tracks, perfect contact with the ground is achieved. The transformation from the tracked vehicle model to the wheeled model is commonly obtained by the virtual wheel method [1,5,22]. Tracked mobile platform approximation employing a wheeled platform model with differential drive is simple, more universal, and very useful from a control point of view.…”

“…Sci. 2024, 14, 2472 2 of 15 especially those dedicated to pavement testing and surface assessment [4,5], is important. Here, the application of the motion planning methods to different pavement inspection tasks, including the illustration of pavement processes, is presented and widely described.…”

“…The vehicle is assumed to move with limited velocities and accelerations to reduce excessive slip and skid effects. In the context of airport technology, the market related to mobile platforms, especially those dedicated to pavement testing and surface assessment [4,5], is important. Here, the application of the motion planning methods to different pavement inspection tasks, including the illustration of pavement processes, is presented and widely described.…”

ROADS—Rover for Bituminous Pavement Distress Survey: An Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Prototype for Pavement Distress Evaluation

“…In this regard, UGVs are used by many researchers to improve the repeatability of measurements, test new methods, and maximize Pavement Management Systems. The research reported in [45] uses an autonomous robot to implement pavement inspection by "four motion planning methods" which can organize the forthcoming actions. In [46], an autonomous vehicle was also tested for potholes detection.…”

Automated Visual Inspection of Road Surface Cracks

“…Kim et al (2006) evaluated the crack sealing performance by image processing. Also, Chang et al (2007) developed an autonomous robot for crack inspection. Zhaoyun et al, (2009) proposed an algorithm to identify pavement cracks upon morphological method.…”