{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T15:57:43Z","timestamp":1780415863853,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,26]],"date-time":"2024-01-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1706227200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"RIE2020 Industry Alignment Fund"},{"name":"Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd."}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Robotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Accurate and complete 3D point clouds are essential in creating as-built building information modeling (BIM) models, although there are challenges in automating the process for 3D point cloud creation in complex environments. In this paper, an autonomous scanning system named BIMBot is introduced, which integrates advanced light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology with robotics to create 3D point clouds. Using our specially developed algorithmic pipeline for point cloud processing, iterative registration refinement, and next best view (NBV) calculation, this system facilitates an efficient, accurate, and fully autonomous scanning process. The BIMBot\u2019s performance was validated using a case study in a campus laboratory, featuring complex structural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) elements. The experimental results showed that the autonomous scanning system produced 3D point cloud mappings in fewer scans than the manual method while maintaining comparable detail and accuracy, demonstrating its potential for wider application in complex built environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics13020022","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,26]],"date-time":"2024-01-26T04:05:46Z","timestamp":1706241946000},"page":"22","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["BIMBot for Autonomous Laser Scanning in Built Environments"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Nanying","family":"Liang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu Pin","family":"Ang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaiyun","family":"Yeo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Block N4 #02a-32, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiao","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuan","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8406-9536","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yiyu","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e19697","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e19697","article-title":"Potential features of building information modeling (BIM) for application of project management knowledge areas in the construction industry","volume":"9","author":"Raza","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.3390\/heritage3010004","article-title":"A Scan-to-BIM Methodology Applied to Heritage Buildings","volume":"3","author":"Rocha","year":"2020","journal-title":"Heritage"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, Y., Chen, Q., Zhu, Q., Liu, L., Li, C., and Zheng, D. (2019). A Survey of Mobile Laser Scanning Applications and Key Techniques over Urban Areas. Remote Sens., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/rs11131540"},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"205","article-title":"Use of 3D technology in underground tourism: Example of Rzeszow (Poland) and Lviv (Ukraine)","volume":"26","author":"Bieda","year":"2021","journal-title":"Acta Montan. Slovaca"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ad\u00e1n, A., Quintana, B., and Prieto, S.A. (2019). Autonomous Mobile Scanning Systems for the Digitization of Buildings: A Review. Remote Sensing, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/rs11030306"},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Sequeira, V., Goncalves, J.G.M., and Ribeiro, M.I. (1996, January 19). 3D reconstruction of indoor environments. Proceedings of the 3rd IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, Lausanne, Switzerland."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1016\/j.robot.2003.09.004","article-title":"An autonomous mobile robot with a 3D laser range finder for 3D exploration and digitalization of indoor environments","volume":"45","author":"Surmann","year":"2003","journal-title":"Robot. Auton. Syst."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Blaer, P.S., and Allen, P.K. (November, January 29). Data acquisition and view planning for 3-D modeling tasks. Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE\/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, San Diego, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/IROS.2007.4399581"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aei.2014.06.002","article-title":"A mobile robot based system for fully automated thermal 3D mapping","volume":"28","author":"Borrmann","year":"2014","journal-title":"Adv. Eng. Inform."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1016\/j.robot.2017.04.016","article-title":"As-is building-structure reconstruction from a probabilistic next best scan approach","volume":"94","author":"Prieto","year":"2017","journal-title":"Robot. Auton. Syst."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102963","DOI":"10.1016\/j.autcon.2019.102963","article-title":"An autonomous robotic platform for automatic extraction of detailed semantic models of buildings","volume":"109","author":"Quintana","year":"2020","journal-title":"Autom. Constr."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"273","DOI":"10.5194\/isprs-archives-XLVIII-1-W1-2023-273-2023","article-title":"Feasibility and accuracy of as-built modelling from slam-based point clouds: Preliminary results","volume":"XLVIII-1\/W1-2023","author":"Matellon","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spat. Inf. Sci."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Maset, E., Scalera, L., Beinat, A., Cazorzi, F., Crosilla, F., Fusiello, A., and Gasparetto, A. (2022). Preliminary Comparison Between Handheld and Mobile Robotic Mapping Systems, Springer International Publishing.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-87383-7_32"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Maset, E., Scalera, L., Beinat, A., Visintini, D., and Gasparetto, A. (2022). Performance Investigation and Repeatability Assessment of a Mobile Robotic System for 3D Mapping. Robotics, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics11030054"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"205","DOI":"10.5194\/isprs-archives-XLVIII-1-W3-2023-205-2023","article-title":"Selected qualitative aspects of lidar point clouds: Geoslam zeb-revo and faro focus 3D X130","volume":"XLVIII-1\/W3-2023","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spat. Inf. Sci."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mora, R., Mart\u00edn-Jim\u00e9nez, J.A., Lag\u00fcela, S., and Gonz\u00e1lez-Aguilera, D. (2021). Automatic Point-Cloud Registration for Quality Control in Building Works. Appl. Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/app11041465"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6411","DOI":"10.1109\/LRA.2020.3013861","article-title":"UFOMap: An Efficient Probabilistic 3D Mapping Framework That Embraces the Unknown","volume":"5","author":"Duberg","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1007\/s10514-012-9321-0","article-title":"OctoMap: An Efficient Probabilistic 3D Mapping Framework Based on Octrees","volume":"34","author":"Hornung","year":"2013","journal-title":"Auton. Robot."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Charrow, B., Kahn, G., Patil, S., Liu, S., Goldberg, K., Abbeel, P., Michael, N., and Kumar, V.R. (2015). Information-Theoretic Planning with Trajectory Optimization for Dense 3D Mapping. Robot. Sci. Syst. XI.","DOI":"10.15607\/RSS.2015.XI.003"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1680","DOI":"10.1109\/LRA.2017.2655144","article-title":"A Two-Stage Optimized Next-View Planning Framework for 3-D Unknown Environment Exploration, and Structural Reconstruction","volume":"2","author":"Meng","year":"2017","journal-title":"IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett."}],"container-title":["Robotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/13\/2\/22\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T13:49:39Z","timestamp":1760104179000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/13\/2\/22"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,26]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2]]}},"alternative-id":["robotics13020022"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/robotics13020022","relation":{},"ISSN":["2218-6581"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2218-6581","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,26]]}}}