Purpose

The UN forecast of a 3-degree Celsius global temperature increase by 2,100 will exacerbate excessive heat. Population growth, urban densification, climate change and global warming contribute to heat waves, which are more intense in high-density environments. With urbanisation, vegetation is replaced by impervious materials which contribute to the urban heat island effect. Concurrently, adverse health outcomes and heat- related deaths are increasing, and heat stress affects labour productivity. More green infrastructure, such as green walls, is needed to mitigate these effects; however maintenance costs, OH&S issues and perceptions of fire risk inhibit take up. What if these barriers could be overcome by a green Wallbot? This research examines the feasibility of integrating smart technology in the form of a Wallbot.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design comprised two workshops with key stakeholders; comprising green wall designers and installers, green wall maintenance teams, project managers and building owners with green wall installations, horticulture scientists, designers and mechatronics engineers. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the issues affecting maintenance of green walls on different building types in New South Wales Australia to inform the design of a prototype robot to maintain green walls.

Findings

The Wallbot has great potential to overcome the perceived barriers associated with maintaining green walls and also fire risk and detection. If these barriers are addressed, other locations, such as the sides of motorways or rail corridors, could be used for more green wall installations thereby increasing mitigation of UHI. This innovation would be a welcome addition to smart building technology and property maintenance.

Research limitations/implications

This is a pilot study, and the sample of stakeholders attending the workshops was small, though experienced. The range of green walls is varied, and it was decided to focus initially on a specific type of green wall design for the prototype Wallbot. Therefore other types and sizes of green walls may suit other specifications of Wallbot design.

Practical implications

To date, no robot exists that maintains green walls, and this innovative research developed a prototype for trialling maintenance and inspection.

Originality/value

To date, no robot exists that maintains green walls. No study to date has assessed stakeholder perceptions and developed prototype Wallbot technology.

中文翻译：

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迈向智能绿墙维护和Wallbot技术

目的

联合国预测全球气温上升 3 摄氏度将增加 2,100 摄氏度，这将加剧过热。人口增长、城市密集化、气候变化和全球变暖导致热浪，热浪在高密度环境中更为强烈。随着城市化，植被被不透水材料所取代，这有助于城市热岛效应。同时，不利的健康结果和与热相关的死亡正在增加，热应激影响劳动生产率。需要更多的绿色基础设施，如绿墙，以减轻这些影响；然而，维护成本、职业健康安全问题和对火灾风险的看法抑制了这一趋势。如果这些障碍可以被绿色 Wallbot 克服呢？本研究考察了以 Wallbot 的形式集成智能技术的可行性。

设计/方法/方法

研究设计包括两个主要利益相关者的研讨会；包括绿墙设计师和安装人员、绿墙维护团队、项目经理和拥有绿墙装置的业主、园艺科学家、设计师和机电工程师。其目的是更深入地了解影响澳大利亚新南威尔士州不同建筑类型绿化墙维护的问题，以告知用于维护绿化墙的原型机器人的设计。

发现

Wallbot 具有克服与维护绿墙以及火灾风险和检测相关的感知障碍的巨大潜力。如果这些障碍得到解决，其他位置，例如高速公路或铁路走廊的两侧，可以用于更多的绿墙安装，从而增加对 UHI 的缓解。这项创新将成为智能建筑技术和物业维护的一个受欢迎的补充。

研究限制/影响

这是一项试点研究，虽然经验丰富，但参加研讨会的利益相关者样本很少。绿墙的范围各不相同，因此决定最初将重点放在原型 Wallbot 的特定类型的绿墙设计上。因此，其他类型和尺寸的绿墙可能适合 Wallbot 设计的其他规格。

实际影响

迄今为止，还没有维护绿墙的机器人，这项创新研究开发了一个用于试验维护和检查的原型。

原创性/价值

迄今为止，还没有维护绿色墙壁的机器人。迄今为止，还没有研究评估利益相关者的看法并开发出原型 Wallbot 技术。