Reaching New Levels of Automation
Automation will transform civil and environmental engineering through the use of robotics, AI, advanced materials, and real-time control.
The future of civil and environmental engineering is on the brink of a transformative revolution, propelled by the integration of robotics, AI, advanced materials, and sensing, and real-time controls. At its core, this evolution is exemplified by innovations such as automated mobility, robotic construction, adaptive utilities, and autonomous water systems. Just like self-driving cars, future energy grids, water systems, and construction processes will adapt and optimize their performance in response to changing conditions. These breakthroughs signal a shift towards infrastructure systems that exhibit embodied intelligence by adapting and optimizing their performance in response to changing environmental and societal demands. As automation becomes more ubiquitous, there arises a critical need for ethical and sustainable design. These systems, intimately intertwined with human lives, habitats, and ecosystems, must be developed with a conscientious approach, prioritizing the well-being of both people and the planet. This evolution of automation is not only transforming the CEE landscape but also reshaping career trajectories within the field. This paradigm shift underscores the urgency to reevaluate and innovate in education and workforce development.
What is automation?
Associate Professor Branko Kerkez examines the ways that civil and environmental engineers can use autonomous technologies to open up new possibilities.
Our Approach
Our strategic directions have a broad impact on the way we operate, influencing our approach to research, education and outreach. Explore some examples of how we are implementing the concept of Automation across our department.
Research
Construction Robots
University of Michigan researchers are designing and building new robots that can adapt to rugged and unstructured conditions, and can work collaboratively with human coworkers to perform a wide variety of repetitive and physically-demanding construction tasks. Here, a U-M researcher inspects a joint-sealing robot that adaptively performs work by self-programming its motion based on the encountered workspace geometry.
Connectivity & Automation
Vehicle automation holds the potential to substantially improve traffic safety, facilitate mobility and reduce traffic congestion, fuel consumption and emissions. Our researchers investigate how to leverage vehicle automation and connectivity to transform traffic control, facilitate truck platooning and create innovative shared mobility services. Researchers also examine the implications of vehicle automation on highway infrastructure, urban land use and environmental justice.
Human-in-the-loop Design
The exponential growth in computing power at the disposal of engineers and scientists is resulting in models that produce massive sets of data. Technologies for automated mining of this data are crucial if the full potential of high-fidelity computation is to be unleashed. Our researchers are developing tools for automated human-in-the-loop data mining through virtual reality.
Information Flow
By combining the flow of water with the flow of information, smart water systems have the potential to transform how water resources are managed on a real-time basis. Here, CEE researchers are deploying open source wireless sensors on a surface water system in Michigan. The data are used by local municipalities to manage the ecology of the stream and inform infrastructure investments.
Education
Undergraduate Focus: Smart Cities
The FocusCEE program in Smart Cities allows undergraduate students to tailor their curriculum with an additional focus on foundational computer science that will play a major role in shaping the built environments of the future.
Online Education: Foundations of Mobility
CEE faculty are a part of an interdisciplinary team teaching this continuing education course, which takes a holistic approach to challenges of mobility in cities. This course explores the latest thinking and research on connected transportation systems, autonomous vehicle design and other transportation technologies in the context of their economic, social and policy implications.
Outreach
Urban Collaboratory Projects
The University of Michigan’s Urban Collaboratory partners with communities to solve on-the-ground challenges. In the area of Autonomy, U-M researchers are partnering with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) to reduce combined sewer overflows and maximize current storage utilization through real-time sensing and dynamic control. Another project monitors two retaining wall structures in metropolitan Detroit via a wireless monitoring system in order to extract data on load demand for risk assessment.
News
Automation is a field where cutting-edge research is happening at CEE
Professor Yafeng Yin provided an in-depth perspective on Automation, which is one of CEE’s five Strategic Directions. He recently participated in an interview that explored the many technical, philosophical, economic and emotional components that affect Automation, from its implementation to its growth and acceptance.
Automation Drives Transportation Studies to Improve Safety, Fuel Efficiency
Automation has the potential to improve traffic safety and offer other benefits to drivers, pedestrians and society as a whole. The ability of sensor systems aboard automated vehicles (AVs) to collect and provide information that guides decision-making can reduce traffic accidents and optimize traffic flows.
$5M to enable remote, next-generation autonomous vehicle testing at Mcity
Mcity, which operates the world’s first purpose-built test environment for connected and autonomous vehicles (AVs), will invest $5.1 million from the National Science Foundation to supercharge the facility’s evolution into a test track unlike any other.
Featured Faculty
Neda Masoud
Connectivity & Automation, Online Education: Foundations of Mobility
Henry Liu
Connectivity & Automation, Online Education: Foundations of Mobility
Branko Kerkez
The Water Experience, How Cities Work, Resource Cycles, Information Flow, Undergraduate Focus: Smart Cities, Urban Collaboratory Projects, Predicting Performance
Subscribe for the latest updates on how we're working toward our strategic goals.
Support our research, education and outreach.
CEE is tackling ground-breaking projects, pushing ourselves to be innovative, daring and forward-thinking in our service to society. Our impact is built on the support of our community.
