The rise of robot excavators

Robotic earth movers are the latest ‘autonomous vehicles’ already starting to break ground (excuse the pun) in the USA.

Built Robotics, a startup founded by an ex-Google engineer and currently backed by $15 million of venture capital, has announced that it’s currently building a robotic tractor that digs and moves earth. Wired explains that the vehicle uses special heavy-duty, vibration-proof lidar sensors and GPS to help it navigate construction yards. A stack of computers in a roof-mounted box allow it to make sense of what it sees, so that it can dig up a site according to a set of coordinates from building plans.

Elsewhere, Cyngn—the company formerly known as Cyanogen, is also rumoured to be trying its hand at automating vehicles. According to Recode, the firm, which is still in stealth mode, may also be developing the technology required to make self-driving construction equipment.

And some mining companies are already rolling out driverless trucks in quarries. Those made by the Japanese firm Komatsu, for example, find their way around using precision GPS and look out for obstacles using radar and laser sensors.

Technology is transformational

While there are many things that humans will always be better at doing than computers, we struggle to analyse and interpret large quantities of different but connected data.  Humans tend to find it difficult to spot patterns and take the most efficient decisions based on situations in everyday work – something which the latest computing technology makes very simple. Of course people also require regular breaks, holidays and suffer from the constant distractions and failings of…. well … being human!

This is not to say that people won’t still be vital in an AI augmented world – far from it.  Where machines can easily deal with high volumes of mundane tasks, people will always be more creative, empathetic, emotionally intelligent and effective overall.  While computers can, in theory, learn from experience, they will possibly never be able to emulate humans.

Even if your construction business is a long way from bring driven by artificial intelligence, the gathering of data from multiple sources and the implementation of immediately available software technology is a simple and cost-effective step that any business should be pioneering.  As technology matures, it will be those that understand and record data that will be most successful in leveraging it.

The untapped benefits of ‘hidden’ technology

While for many, technology is a tangible machine, computer or device that helps get work done, valuable data is often generated by very simple sensors and monitors, many of which are already installed and avaiable on recently purchased machinery.  If only businesses could work out how to collect, store, communicate and analyse this data, opportunities to do things better would start to become obvious.  In a range of sectors from manufacturing to mining, there are many examples of companies installing sensors when commissioning machinery, even if they won’t be activated in the immediate future.

Data gathered from a wide range of measurable points (from sensors) throughout almost all stages of a construction project can be analysed to uncover inefficiencies, reveal weaknesses in processes and identify ways to save time.  In turn, this means using available resources more productively, saving energy, increasing compliance and indirectly improving site safety.

When exploited by innovative construction companies, all of these areas will become sources of competitive advantage when it comes to bidding for the most demanding and lucrative contracts and most of it can be done today.