NSF-CGP Fellowship: Research Visit to Shimizu's Robotics Lab in Japan

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

9911946 Kangari This proposal supports U.S.-Japan collaborative research between Dr. Roozbeh Kangari of the Construction Research Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta and Dr. Toshiaki Fujimori, Director of the Advanced Technology Development Division at Shimizu Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Kangari will be supported for three months at Shimizu Corporation in order to collect information and data, study and analyze system productivity and logistics of Shimizu Manufacturing system by Advanced Robotics Technology (SMART) system. The SMART system which will be investigated by the PI, is a part of an overall CIC (Computer Integrated Construction) strategy by Japanese firms for developing construction systems. The proposed collaborative research in Japan will be focused on the following areas: (1) to investigate the productivity improvement (cycle time analysis) of the three generation of the SMART project, (2) to study the safety improvement of the work environment in the SMART project; (3) socio-economic issues of robotization due to current reduction in R&D budget and Japan's slow economic recovery. It is expected that the collaboration could lead to a set of new findings and recommendation, which might assist the industry. The proposal also requests a supplement of travel expenses for a graduate student to participate in the research collaboration in Japan. It is expected that the cooperation between these institutions should foster future collaborations and promote international exchange of scientific resources and ideas.