Human-Centered Robot Collaboration
Human–Robot Collaboration (HRC) represents a transformative shift in how construction work is performed. Robots’ physical capabilities can complement human intelligence to address persistent challenges in the industry, including high safety risks, an aging workforce, and labor shortages. However, despite the promise of robotics, collaboration in construction often overlooks the most critical factor of teamwork—the human. In many current implementations, robots operate as passive executors of commands without considering how their actions influence human perception, comfort, and performance. For some workers, collaborating with a robot can be challenging or even unfavorable, reducing productivity and increasing physical or cognitive strain. The way a robot behaves—its timing, motion, or proximity—can significantly shape how humans respond and adapt during collaboration. The HIT Lab explores human-centered robot collaboration by focusing on how humans and robots mutually influence one another in shared construction tasks. Our research first investigates comprehensive human responses—physical, cognitive, and behavioral—to collaborating robots through multimodal sensing and analysis. Building on these insights, we design and implement adaptive robot behaviors that align with human capabilities and preferences to support safer, more efficient, and more effective teamwork. Ultimately, our goal is to advance construction environments where humans and robots work together seamlessly—enhancing performance, safety, and adaptability across diverse construction contexts.
Sponsors: Pending
Human Sensing and Understanding
This research area focuses on capturing and interpreting comprehensive human responses—physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral—during human–robot collaboration in construction. By leveraging multimodal sensing techniques such as physiological monitoring, motion tracking-based behavioral analysis, and Large Language Model (LLM)-based subjective status assessment, we aim to understand how humans perceive, adapt to, and are influenced by robotic behaviors in dynamic construction environments. These insights form the foundation for developing robot systems that can better support human performance and well-being.
Related Journal Publications
- Baek, F., Sohn, J., Bae, J., Kim, D., and Lee, S. (2025) “Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Responses and their Inter-Related Effects on Human-Robot Team Performance in Construction” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE (Accepted)
- Baek, F., Kim, D., Lee, G., Choi, B., and Lee, S. (2024) “Effect of Human Emotional Responses on Human-Robot Team Productivity in Construction.”, Automation in Construction, Elsevier. Vol. 166, 105608.
Related Conference Papers
- Baek, F. and Lee, S. (2025) “Human Nervous System-based Human Robot Collaboration in Construction”, International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) Workshop on Future of Construction: Safe, Reliable, and Precise Robots in Construction Environments, Atlanta, GA.
- Park, J., Baek, F., Ahn, C. R., and Lee, S. (2025) “Human Responses to Failure and Task Pace in Construction Human-Robot Collaboration” 2025 European Conference on Computing in Construction, Porto, Portugal.
- Baek, F., Bae, J., Ahn, C. R., and Lee, S. (2024) “The Effects of Considering Cognitive Responses on the Human-Robot Team Productivity.” The 10th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management (ICCEPM), Sapporo, Japan.
- Baek, F., Kim, D., Lee, G., Choi, B., and Lee, S. (2022) “Emotional Response Modeling for Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction.” The 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality, Seoul, Korea (Best Paper Award)
Human-Adaptive Robot Behavior and Control
Building on our understanding of human responses, this research area develops robot behaviors that adapt to individual and situational conditions. We design robot control and behavior strategies that enable robots to adjust their actions—such as movement patterns, timing, and levels of autonomy—based on real-time human states and ongoing task performance. Through these adaptive strategies, we aim to realize effective, safe, and responsive human–robot teamwork even in unstructured, dangerous, and ever-changing construction work environments.
Related Conference Paper
- Baek, F., Wen, L., Yong, G., and Lee, S. (2025) “Personalized Emotion-Adaptive Robot Control Strategy for Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction”, 42nd International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), Montreal, Canada.
Workspace Safety and Health
This research area focuses on advancing safety, health, and well-being in construction through human-centered sensing and computational modeling. We aim to identify early indicators of fatigue, strain, and unsafe conditions by analyzing human performance patterns in dynamic work environments. Our goal is to establish quantitative frameworks that connect physiological, behavioral, and task-related data with safety and health outcomes. Through this line of research, we seek to develop proactive systems that predict and prevent risk, support sustainable human performance, and promote safer and healthier construction workplaces.
Sponsors: Pending
Related Journal Publication
- Baek, F., Kim, D., Penfield, J., Barker, R., and Lee, S. (2025) “Vision-based Computing Pipeline for Hand Grip-Type Recognition During Tool Handling” IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, Taylor and Francis. Vol. 13 (3), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/24725838.2025.2536783