Performance Evaluation of Concrete Polishing Robot with Omnidirectional Mobile Mechanism

Abstract

In the construction industry, concrete polishing is used to grind and rub the surface of concrete grounds with polishing machines to increase the strength of the concrete after deposition. Polishing is performed manually in spite of the generation of dust and the requirement of frequent replacements of the polishing pad. The concrete polishing robot developed in this research is a novel polishing automation system for preventing the workers from being exposed to poor working environments. This robot is able to change multiple polishing tools automatically; however, the workers can conveniently replace the worn-out polishing pads with new ones. The mobile platform of the polishing robot employs omnidirectional wheels to enable a flexible motion even in small and complicated workspaces. To evaluate the performance of the developed concrete polishing robot, extensive experiments including square trajectory tracking, automatic tool changing, actual polishing, and path generation simulation were performed.