The machines operator could take information from a menu this information could include a three-dimensional view of the site plan, machine location on the site, or even a view of a dozer blade with actual and desired angle of cut.Īnd this information could also be used to control the machine directly.ĭevelopment of prototype driverless bulldozers and loaders may be some way off, but both Caterpillar and Komatsu already have working systems which give their larger dumptrucks a fully autonomous function. With GPS and other electronic survey and tracking equipment, and computerised site plans, a project manager could monitor progress relative to plans easily and as often as desired.įurther, the site information could be displayed on an interactive screen in the cab.
Today we are totally digitised to the setting out stage, then it all goes very low-tech, says Mr Schaidle, referring to the usage of stakes and marker boards to indicate boundaries and levels. This promises enormous improvements in accuracy and productivity. They even claim that sophisticated electronics on the machine will enable it to establish its position within the three-dimensional framework of a digitised site plan, without the use of physical markers, so that surveyors no longer have to mark out a site.Ĭurrent research is looking at ways of linking highly accurate plans and site information, now commonly available in digital form, with working machines in a two-way flow of information.
Researchers predict we could soon be seeing fleets of fully automated machines, controlled by information beamed down by satellite, 24 hours a day, to tolerances of just a few millimetres. Its benefits are its ability to work normally in fog, rain or dust, and the fact that it can cope with slopes and curves, including the Earths curvature. GPS technology has already made inroads in the land surveying sector, for which it is expected to capture 50 per cent of the market over the next five years. This revolution is made possible by tapping into the Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite-based system which allows points to be located anywhere in the world to within 2 cm and updated between five and 10 times a second. It will reduce human effort, reduce material usage and waste, improve job quality and offer higher machine utilisation, says Chuck Schaidle, technical manager of Caterpillars mining group. We think there is going to be a major change in our industry.
MAJOR manufacturers of earthmoving equip- ment, led by Caterpillar and Komatsu, are currently working on highly sophisticated machine monitoring and control systems using space-age technology.Īlready, many machine control specialists have products on the market which are compatible, or could work just as effectively off a satellite signal as they now do off lasers.Įxperts predict a coming revolution in which communications, machine monitoring and diagnostics, job and business management, planning and operation, and machine control will all be affected. Old-fashioned muckshifting seems light years away from modern satellite technology, but current research by some of the major players in the plant world may soon see this sci-fi technology in everyday use.
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