The industry is moving towards autonomous construction equipment. It’s not a reality just yet, but this is the direction it is heading. Many contractors may be concerned about job losses or accidents on the job site if driverless construction equipment becomes a reality. Cameron Clark, who leads Trimble’s efforts in bringing autonomy to civil construction, wants to dispel these fears. He believes that autonomous machines are a huge opportunity, but it will take some time to develop.
Automation Is Not New
Earthmoving manufacturers have added automation to their machines for years. Clark, Earthworks Business area Manager at Trimble, says that there are currently more than 100,000 machines with machine controls.
According to the SAE driving automation levels, a dozer that has machine control qualifies as Grade 1 automation. 0 = no automation while 5 = full autonomy. Clark says, “We’re already on the road to automation.” “We’ve gone from having people put stakes into the ground, to 3D machine controls where you can remove stakes and automatically control the blade to keep grade.”
Semi-autonomous machines may improve productivity, but they still require the expertise of an operator. Clark claims that, with the technology available today, experienced operators are 41 percent faster and 75 percent more precise, while new operators are 28 percent faster and 100 percent more accurate. Contractors can expect greater efficiency as steering and other machine functions become more automated. He believes compactors will be the most important autonomous equipment.
Shortages of labor are driving the market.
Construction companies around the world are experiencing a lack of operators for heavy equipment. Clark believes that this is the main driver of autonomous construction equipment, along with an increase in global infrastructure spending.
“It is hard to do the job we have today,” Clark says. With the growing energy and infrastructure needs, there will be an increase in demand for workers in developing countries. What will we do if we cannot find workers in developed countries?
Benefits of Autonomous Construction Equipment
Clark says that an autonomous solution goes beyond a solution to a single machine. The independent machine must work with other machines, assets, and workers on the job site.
Clark says that contractors want an ecosystem solution. Trimble’s focus will be on interactions between machines. Imagine, for example, two compactors that work with a dozer. Automation will tell the compactor where to move next on the site. Clark says, “It is about fleet management.” “Determining which machines are required, improving planning and bidding, and helping operators to make real-time decision.”
Clark is of the opinion that it would be beneficial to human operators if machines were programmed to perform more mundane tasks while operators performed jobs of higher value. Automation could also reduce stress and fatigue for human operators. This would improve safety. An operator could switch to another role, such as managing equipment remotely, instead of spending weeks away from home.
No one predicts a future without workers on a construction site. Clark says that a construction site is more complex than a road where cars and trucks are just trying to get to their destination. It will take some time for the process to be completed, but it is clear that autonomous machines have an important role to play. Learn how to reduce your fear and what this trend means for your company.