Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance
Autonomous earthwork machinery is gaining traction as a means to boost productivity and safety on space-constrained urban sites, yet the fast-growing literature has not been fully integrated. To clarify current knowledge, we systematically searched Scopus and screened 597 records, retaining 157 peer...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2570 |
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| author | Zeru Liu Jung In Kim |
| author_facet | Zeru Liu Jung In Kim |
| author_sort | Zeru Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Autonomous earthwork machinery is gaining traction as a means to boost productivity and safety on space-constrained urban sites, yet the fast-growing literature has not been fully integrated. To clarify current knowledge, we systematically searched Scopus and screened 597 records, retaining 157 peer-reviewed papers (2015–March 2025) that address autonomy, integrated control, or risk mitigation for excavators, bulldozers, and loaders. Descriptive statistics, VOSviewer mapping, and qualitative synthesis show the output rising rapidly and peaking at 30 papers in 2024, led by China, Korea, and the USA. Four tightly linked themes dominate: perception-driven machine autonomy, IoT-enabled integrated control systems, multi-sensor safety strategies, and the first demonstrations of fleet-level collaboration (e.g., coordinated excavator clusters and unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned ground vehicle (UAV–UGV) site preparation). Advances include centimeter-scale path tracking, real-time vision-light detection and ranging (LiDAR) fusion and geofenced safety envelopes, but formal validation protocols and robust inter-machine communication remain open challenges. The review distils five research priorities, including adaptive perception and artificial intelligence (AI), digital-twin integration with building information modeling (BIM), cooperative multi-robot planning, rigorous safety assurance, and human–automation partnership that must be addressed to transform isolated prototypes into connected, self-optimizing fleets capable of delivering safer, faster, and more sustainable urban construction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d6e2274152d94451b4a6d1a3d299d475 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2075-5309 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Buildings |
| spelling | doaj-art-d6e2274152d94451b4a6d1a3d299d4752025-08-20T03:08:10ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-07-011514257010.3390/buildings15142570Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety AssuranceZeru Liu0Jung In Kim1Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaAutonomous earthwork machinery is gaining traction as a means to boost productivity and safety on space-constrained urban sites, yet the fast-growing literature has not been fully integrated. To clarify current knowledge, we systematically searched Scopus and screened 597 records, retaining 157 peer-reviewed papers (2015–March 2025) that address autonomy, integrated control, or risk mitigation for excavators, bulldozers, and loaders. Descriptive statistics, VOSviewer mapping, and qualitative synthesis show the output rising rapidly and peaking at 30 papers in 2024, led by China, Korea, and the USA. Four tightly linked themes dominate: perception-driven machine autonomy, IoT-enabled integrated control systems, multi-sensor safety strategies, and the first demonstrations of fleet-level collaboration (e.g., coordinated excavator clusters and unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned ground vehicle (UAV–UGV) site preparation). Advances include centimeter-scale path tracking, real-time vision-light detection and ranging (LiDAR) fusion and geofenced safety envelopes, but formal validation protocols and robust inter-machine communication remain open challenges. The review distils five research priorities, including adaptive perception and artificial intelligence (AI), digital-twin integration with building information modeling (BIM), cooperative multi-robot planning, rigorous safety assurance, and human–automation partnership that must be addressed to transform isolated prototypes into connected, self-optimizing fleets capable of delivering safer, faster, and more sustainable urban construction.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2570autonomous earthwork machineryconstruction roboticsintegrated control systemsdigital twinssafety and risk mitigationfleet interoperability |
| spellingShingle | Zeru Liu Jung In Kim Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance Buildings autonomous earthwork machinery construction robotics integrated control systems digital twins safety and risk mitigation fleet interoperability |
| title | Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance |
| title_full | Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance |
| title_fullStr | Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance |
| title_short | Autonomous Earthwork Machinery for Urban Construction: A Review of Integrated Control, Fleet Coordination, and Safety Assurance |
| title_sort | autonomous earthwork machinery for urban construction a review of integrated control fleet coordination and safety assurance |
| topic | autonomous earthwork machinery construction robotics integrated control systems digital twins safety and risk mitigation fleet interoperability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2570 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zeruliu autonomousearthworkmachineryforurbanconstructionareviewofintegratedcontrolfleetcoordinationandsafetyassurance AT junginkim autonomousearthworkmachineryforurbanconstructionareviewofintegratedcontrolfleetcoordinationandsafetyassurance |