Research trend analysis for construction automation

Automation has been an active research topic in the construction industry for many years to improve the accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of the construction process. This study identifies global research trends in automation in construction during the past 15 years by analyzing papers published in the journal Automation in Construction. Text mining, data clustering, and keyword network analysis were applied to identify emerging technologies. According to the clustering of the most recent three years’ research, the main topics fall into seven categories: BIM(building information modeling), optimization, data acquisition, big data and AI, 3-D printing, wearable devices, and others. Over the various regions and periods, the results showed that the research focus has shifted from traditional mechanical automation to construction data acquisition, management, and analysis, introducing a new historical period in construction automation.