  In the construction industry, where work environments are complex,
unstructured and often dangerous, the implementation of Human-Robot
Collaboration (HRC) is emerging as a promising advancement. This underlines the
critical need for intuitive communication interfaces that enable construction
workers to collaborate seamlessly with robotic assistants. This study
introduces a conversational Virtual Reality (VR) interface integrating
multimodal interaction to enhance intuitive communication between construction
workers and robots. By integrating voice and controller inputs with the Robot
Operating System (ROS), Building Information Modeling (BIM), and a game engine
featuring a chat interface powered by a Large Language Model (LLM), the
proposed system enables intuitive and precise interaction within a VR setting.
Evaluated by twelve construction workers through a drywall installation case
study, the proposed system demonstrated its low workload and high usability
with succinct command inputs. The proposed multimodal interaction system
suggests that such technological integration can substantially advance the
integration of robotic assistants in the construction industry.
