Teleoperated humanoid robot successfully completes construction tasks
Toward Humanoid Robots in Construction: A Teleoperation Feasibility Study
RoboticsHuman-Computer Interaction
Summary
Construction work can be physically hard and dangerous, and robots that work like humans could help. The authors made a system where one person controls a humanoid robot using special gear and pedals to move and use tools at the same time. They tested this on two building tasks and found the robot did well but took more time than humans. This shows teleoperated humanoid robots might help with construction when full robot independence is still hard.
What this means in practice
- •For construction site managers: Use a teleoperated humanoid robot to perform tool transport and painting tasks where worker safety is a concern.
- •For industrial training developers: Create high-quality robot demonstration data remotely for training or automation development in construction robotics.
Authors
Parastoo Ali Pour, David R. Martin, Chang Min Hur, Bo Zhang, Tommy Zhou, Brandon Thomas Lichter, Shane Stanfield, Pramod Khargonekar, Mohammad Abdullah Al Faruque
Abstract
We present a teleoperation system that enables a single operator to perform construction tasks on a Unitree G1 humanoid, combining extended reality (XR) based upper body control with pedal-based locomotion to enable simultaneous manipulation and locomotion. Motivated by persistent labor shortages, hazardous working conditions, and challenges in humanoid autonomy, we investigate teleoperation as a practical near-term approach for reducing physical strain on workers while generating high quality demonstration data. We evaluate the system on two representative construction tasks drawn from O*NET occupational database, and report task success and completion time relative to a manual baseline. The system achieved 100% success on tool transport and 80% success on surface painting, with teleoperation requiring substantially more time compared to manual execution.