The Grainger College of Engineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering

CEE students awarded ASCE Global Robotics Competition first, second place

7/11/2025

Two students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at The Grainger College of Engineering received top honors at the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering. Learn More >>

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Two students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at The Grainger College of Engineering received top honors at the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (i3CE 2025) in New Orleans in May. 
 
Zhao, Jebelli receive first place at ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition
Zhao, Jebelli receive first place at ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition
CEE Assistant Professor Dr. Houtan Jebelli and doctoral student Xiayu Zhao received first place in the ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition for their submission titled: "Module-enhanced Slope-Adaptive and Hazard-Aware Hexapod Robotic System for Safe Roof Inspection." Their research focused on developing a hexapod robot capable of autonomous navigation and inspection on pitched roofs. The system is engineered to maintain balance and stability on slopes up to 26 degrees, with integrated roof-edge detection to ensure a consistent clearance from hazardous edges. The full perception-planning stack is built into a compact robot platform, making it a highly portable and adaptable solution. The aim is to reduce human exposure to fall risks during roof inspections by enabling robots to operate effectively in steep and hazardous environments.
 
Ren, Jebelli receive second place at ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition
Ren, Jebelli receive second place at ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition
Jebelli and doctoral student Tianyu Ren were awarded second place in the same competition for their submission titled: "Adaptive Robotic Navigation and Mapping System for Complex Construction Environments", which focused on enabling drones to operate autonomously in cluttered, confined indoor areas such as attics and mechanical spaces. The system achieved 95% mapping accuracy and 92% navigation success in obstacle-rich environments using reinforcement learning. It also maintained real-time performance with 10Hz closed-loop control, even when operating on limited hardware. The goal is to support safer and more efficient inspections and data collection in areas that are typically challenging or unsafe for human access.
 
The ASCE Global Robotics & Automation Competition, organized by the ASCE Computing Division and held at the Computing in Civil Engineering Conference, highlights innovative robotics solutions addressing critical challenges in civil engineering and the built environment. It brings together student teams and researchers from around the world to showcase robotics and automation systems with real-world impact, emphasizing technical excellence, creativity, and practical relevance.
 
Jebelli is the director of the Robotic, Automation, and Intelligent Sensing (RAISE) Lab at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, his research centers around construction automation and robotics, particularly the integration of human physiology into robotic control and motion planning systems. Jebelli's  new book explores the use of digital twin technology in the construction industry. Published by ASCE, Digital Twins in Construction and the Built Environment addresses the growing prevalence of digital twins across all sectors and introduces ways this technology can uniquely benefit those working in construction and built environment industries.  

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This story was published July 11, 2025.