Purdue Polytechnic construction management professor Jiansong Zhang and two graduate-level research assistants have recently patented a new robotic system, as reported by the Purdue Research Foundation.
The patent is for a “new robotic system” that “features sensors that attach to various surfaces on a building… [and algorithmically provide] instructions to a robotic arm that places and fastens construction materials such as roofing, sheathing and wall paneling applications.” This effort to automate parts of the construction process is in response to an “120% increase in demand for residential buildings [over] the last 30 years.”
Zhang, an associate professor in the School of Construction Management Technology, has seven total patents listed by the Purdue Research Foundation. He also founded the DigiTRACKER center at Purdue Polytechnic about a month ago, which will serve as a collaborative research nexus for construction experts looking to investigate novel robotics, digital twin and AI applications in this field.
For this patent, Zhang worked with research assistants Christopher Lacny and Noah Reardon. Lacny is a senior in electrical engineering and applied physics at Purdue, and Reardon is a senior in a masters program in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
The Purdue Research Foundation stated: “During the 2023 calendar year, Purdue Research Foundation ranked #4 among U.S. universities for patents received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. The information was published in a report from the National Academy of Inventors.”