Operational Test and Evaluation of Automated Construction Devices
Today we are poised on the verge of an automation revolution in the construction industry. A standard operational test and evaluation plan which will enable systematic and uniform examination of automated construction devices is required. Thus, this study has at its root two key goals: (1) to develop a test and evaluation plan suitable to be an industry standard, and (2) to use the plan to evaluate a specific device.
After reviewing work underway in the area of automation evaluation and gaining a clear grasp of operational testing, a Standard Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) Plan was developed. Then actual testing of a particular automated device, the remote-controlled power trowel, matched it against other methods of concrete floor finishing and judged performance in the areas of: (1) project environment interaction, (2) system performance, (3) economic performance, (4) human interaction, and (5) business and societal interaction.
In performing the OT&E, all of the test objectives were met: (1) to evaluate the overall performance of the remote controlled power trowel, (2) to determine the appropriate level of automation for finishing work today, (3) to determine the potential for automation in concrete floor construction tomorrow, and (4) to judge the appropriateness of the Standard OT&E Plan to this type of evaluation.
