UNL professor works to develop 3-D models of construction sites, ensuring safety

Three-dimensional technology may have more of a purpose than giving moviegoers a different viewing experience.

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor received a $400,000 five-year Faculty Early Career Development Program CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to develop 3-D technology that will build virtual 3-D models of construction sites.

Yong Cho, an assistant professor of construction systems and leader of the study, said it can be very difficult to read the location of the construction site while handling machinery. This technology will allow machinery operators the ability to see from their operator sets, he added.

Video cameras give construction workers only a 2-D perspective, meaning there could still be hazards an operator or automated construction equipment may not pick up.

Cho said robots will scan the construction site and transmit the data to the operators, helping them see in blind spots. The scanning technology could be mounted on the crane or on a mobile platform, he said.

"They can reduce the safety issues a lot," he said.

Cho said he decided to develop this technology because there are safety problems in construction sites that could be reduced. Safety in construction sites is the top priority, he said, but added that safer worksites mean fewer delays and increased productivity.

Construction workers face numerous hazards while working.

"There's problems during excavation because eventually you're working with safety equipment," said Ted Weidner, assistant vice chancellor of facilities, maintenance and planning. "You have to get the hole mostly dug to put in the safety equipment."

During excavation, the workers also have to deal with water, Weidner said.

"I've seen a situation where someone was working in the excavation, and water came in and the excavation caved in a little and the worker panicked," he said.

Weidner said other dangers in construction sites include working in heights that carry the risk of falling, working with heat and electricity, seeing through the dust and debris in the site and using big vehicles and machinery.

Weidner said the new technology would have to scan the construction site daily as one of the challenges in maintaining safety is the daily change in the construction site.

kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com