Gypsum Block Wall Laying System

Description

One of the largest industries in Hong Kong is the building and construction industry. GDP from construction in Hong Kong is over 33 billion HK dollars per quarter #. Even though, many tasks in construction are manually performed by hand and the use of automatic or robotic systems to handle loads is rare. We propose to develop a flexible and semi-automatic system for laying gypsum blocks to construct walls. The project aims at replacing the traditional manual process which relies on human power to lay the heavy blocks and scaffolding to reach high altitude. The system consists of a lightweight manipulator and two mobile lift platforms. The manipulator is mounted on one of the lift platforms, and the other platform serves as a carrier of gypsum blocks. The use of lift platform is flexible and eliminates the need of scaffolding. The proposed system significantly improves both productivity and operator's safety. The manipulator has to be lightweight (elevated up to the target height of 8 m) and capable to handle heavy payload (a gypsum block weighs 35 kg). The impact of the proposed semi-automatic system to the construction industry would be very high.