Dissertation/ Thesis
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Cooperative Robots for Construction — Material Handling and Stigmergic Methods

Bibliographic Details
Title: Cooperative Robots for Construction — Material Handling and Stigmergic Methods
Authors: Kassawat, Majd
Contributors: University/Department: Universitat Jaume I. Escola de Doctorat
Thesis Advisors: del Pobil, Angel P., Cervera, Enric
Source: TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)
Publisher Information: Universitat Jaume I, 2026.
Publication Year: 2026
Physical Description: 126 p.
Subject Terms: Cooperative robotics, Multi-robot material handling, Omnidirectional mobile robots, Stigmergic construction, Force feedback control, Hybrid teleoperation, Tecnologia i enginyeria
Description: Doctorat internacional
Description (Translated): Autonomous robotic systems are poised to transform the construction industry by enabling teams of mobile robots to collaborate on material handling and assembly tasks. This dissertation advances the state of the art in cooperative mobile robotics for construction through an integrated exploration of hardware development, control architecture, simulation, and experimental validation. We design and implement a novel omnidirectional robot platform with a modular design and a friction-based lifting mechanism, allowing multiple robots to jointly lift and transport building materials without the need for complex grippers. Using this platform, a distributed control architecture orchestrates multi-robot coordination, and we systematically evaluate how key parameters – including robot mass, movement speed, team size, and task allocation strategy – impact the efficiency of both individual and cooperative operations. In parallel, drawing inspiration from social insects, we investigate stigmergic construction methods as a decentralized approach to multi-robot assembly. Using a custom lightweight simulator and high-fidelity ARGoS simulations, we develop and assess rule-based strategies in which robots coordinate indirectly by modifying their environment. These experiments demonstrate that simple local interaction rules can give rise to complex emergent structures. We also introduce a gripper tool design for block manipulation to bridge the gap between simulation and physical implementation of stigmergic building. Overall, the results validate the feasibility of employing cooperative robots for both shared-load material handling and decentralized construction. This work provides new insights into the design of multi-robot platforms and control frameworks for the construction domain, and it outlines practical guidelines to inform future robotic construction systems.
Programa de Doctorat en Informàtica
Document Type: Dissertation/Thesis
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
Access URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/696464
Rights: L'accés als continguts d'aquesta tesi queda condicionat a l'acceptació de les condicions d'ús establertes per la següent llicència Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
Accession Number: edstdx.10803.696464
Database: TDX
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  – Url: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/696464#
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  Data: Cooperative Robots for Construction — Material Handling and Stigmergic Methods
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kassawat%2C+Majd%22">Kassawat, Majd</searchLink>
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  Data: University/Department: Universitat Jaume I. Escola de Doctorat
– Name: Author
  Label: Thesis Advisors
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  Data: del Pobil, Angel P.<br />Cervera, Enric
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  Data: TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)
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  Data: Universitat Jaume I, 2026.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: 126 p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperative+robotics%22">Cooperative robotics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multi-robot+material+handling%22">Multi-robot material handling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Omnidirectional+mobile+robots%22">Omnidirectional mobile robots</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stigmergic+construction%22">Stigmergic construction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Force+feedback+control%22">Force feedback control</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hybrid+teleoperation%22">Hybrid teleoperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tecnologia+i+enginyeria%22">Tecnologia i enginyeria</searchLink>
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  Data: Doctorat internacional
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Description (Translated)
  Group: Ab
  Data: Autonomous robotic systems are poised to transform the construction industry by enabling teams of mobile robots to collaborate on material handling and assembly tasks. This dissertation advances the state of the art in cooperative mobile robotics for construction through an integrated exploration of hardware development, control architecture, simulation, and experimental validation. We design and implement a novel omnidirectional robot platform with a modular design and a friction-based lifting mechanism, allowing multiple robots to jointly lift and transport building materials without the need for complex grippers. Using this platform, a distributed control architecture orchestrates multi-robot coordination, and we systematically evaluate how key parameters – including robot mass, movement speed, team size, and task allocation strategy – impact the efficiency of both individual and cooperative operations. In parallel, drawing inspiration from social insects, we investigate stigmergic construction methods as a decentralized approach to multi-robot assembly. Using a custom lightweight simulator and high-fidelity ARGoS simulations, we develop and assess rule-based strategies in which robots coordinate indirectly by modifying their environment. These experiments demonstrate that simple local interaction rules can give rise to complex emergent structures. We also introduce a gripper tool design for block manipulation to bridge the gap between simulation and physical implementation of stigmergic building. Overall, the results validate the feasibility of employing cooperative robots for both shared-load material handling and decentralized construction. This work provides new insights into the design of multi-robot platforms and control frameworks for the construction domain, and it outlines practical guidelines to inform future robotic construction systems.<br />Programa de Doctorat en Informàtica
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  Data: L'accés als continguts d'aquesta tesi queda condicionat a l'acceptació de les condicions d'ús establertes per la següent llicència Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/<br />info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 126
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Cooperative robotics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multi-robot material handling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Omnidirectional mobile robots
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stigmergic construction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Force feedback control
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hybrid teleoperation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tecnologia i enginyeria
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Cooperative Robots for Construction — Material Handling and Stigmergic Methods
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            NameFull: Kassawat, Majd
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            – D: 19
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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