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Built Robotics ’ ATL uses a combination of the LIDAR technology , IMUs , and extremely accurate GPS technology to perform simple but arduous tasks like digging a hole once the parameters for the task have been defined .
Equipment World variables on our roads , autonomous mining and construction equipment — which operates on enclosed , strictly defined sites with comparatively few variables — is likely to be operating long before these cars of the future become commonplace .
One of the companies that is pushing the envelope when it comes to technology and loaders is Built Robotics . Founded by ex-Google engineer Noah Ready-Campbell , Built Robotics aims to disrupt the USD130- billion excavation industry with its fleet of autonomous earth movers . The company ’ s autonomous tracked loader ( ATL ), revealed in October 2017 , uses a combination of the LIDAR technology , inertial measurement units ( IMUs ), and extremely accurate global positioning system ( GPS ) technology to perform simple but arduous tasks like digging a hole once the parameters for the task have been defined . The LIDAR is specifically designed to work in the high-vibration , highimpact world of construction excavation , while the lasers also allow the robot to measure the amount of material it has scooped up . This is the first demonstration of Built Robotics equipping construction vehicles with technology that allows them to conduct dangerous and / or repetitive work with very little human intervention
And while self-driving cars are meant to avoid contact with their environment ,
Volvo CE construction machines are in a different boat altogether : they need to come into contact with the ground they are meant to be removing , and thus the programming can be a lot less precise , assuming that the site itself is geofenced and workers and machines are kept apart from one another . However , the LIDAR does have to be specifically engineered to cope with the rough conditions , and with modifications to help detect how much dirt it is hauling around at any given time .
Volvo concept and prototype loaders Volvo Construction Equipment ( Volvo CE ) is heavily invested in researching and developing innovative equipment for the construction industry . At present , the company has a number of concept and prototype vehicles that it is developing , some as part of currently ongoing research projects , in a bid to discover new ways to improve on-site operations . “ Volvo CE is at the forefront of technological development ,” says Volvo CE president , Martin Weissburg .
Volvo CE ’ s LX1 electric hybrid wheel loader deposits a payload into the HX1 concept machine – an autonomous , fully electric load carrier .
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