The Future of Heavy Equipment: Autonomous Machines on Site

When we talk about the construction industry, most people think of an innovation-unfriendly profession that is heavily reliant on human labor. And while the construction businesses are notorious for being slow adopters, recent changes have completely revamped the field.

By relying on autonomous machines, these companies are inching closer to sophisticated manufacturing businesses. With all these robots at their disposal, companies not only increase safety for their workers, but they also make their jobs much easier.

The Rise of Autonomous Heavy Equipment 

Like many other businesses, construction firms have started implementing AI-driven solutions into their daily workflow. Aside from mandatory software, such as construction time tracking from SmartBarrel, these companies have started spending a lot of resources on self-driving vehicles.

By relying on GPS and sensors, construction trucks are able to navigate obstacles around sites. They can be used for grading, paving, earthmoving, and other tasks that require high accuracy. The best thing about these vehicles is that they can remove the human factor from the equation, reducing otherwise common errors.

Although investing in self-driven vehicles will quickly drain your annual budget, it pays off in the long run. It allows you to eliminate penalties, overhead, sick leaves, and all other costs that come with human labor. Furthermore, these machines don’t require breaks and can be easily programmed. 

Benefits of Autonomous Construction Machines

Once you implement this technology, you’ll be much less reliant on human labor. Some of the most popular modern construction machines include bricklayers, autonomous vehicles, and drones. 

As the labor dynamics of the construction industry are slowly changing against companies, autonomous vehicles can address the following challenges:

• Labor Shortages: Whether you conduct business in the US or someplace else, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered massive labor shortages in the last decade or so. Finding skilled workers is not only hard but also expensive, often forcing companies to outsource and look for other solutions. Through automation, firms are able to finish repetitive tasks while allocating human employees to more sophisticated tasks. 
• Cost Savings: You’ll need to spend a lot of money on your fleet of autonomous vehicles. Given that these are such sophisticated machines, the maintenance will also cost you a pretty penny. However, compared to the usual labor costs, investing in self-driving vehicles is much more economical.
• Increased Efficiency: One of the great things about these machines is that they’re not affected by sickness or fatigue. They are much better at achieving the deadliness while also increasing productivity compared to the human labor force. Some of them can work in perpetuity with minimal oversight.
• Enhanced Safety: Working on construction projects presumes working in some of the world’s most inhospitable, arduous environments. Even if we disregard the weather and terrain features, there are a lot of inherent risks that we simply can’t eliminate. Automated robots are able to handle the most dangerous of tasks, ensuring that your skilled employees don’t get in harm’s way. 

Technology Behind Modern Construction Machines 

Recent technological advancements are the primary reason we can now utilize autonomous vehicles and machines. Here are some of the tech that ushered in a new era for the construction industry:

• Artificial Intelligence: AI vehicles are able to utilize numerous online resources and databases to make decisions in the blink of an eye. They utilize the existing maps and sensors to navigate the surrounding environment. By relying on machine learning, these trucks are able to make better and better decisions over time.
• GPS and LiDAR: None of this would be possible without GPS and LiDAR. With LiDAR, we’re able to create a virtual map of a construction site with all its features. Together with GPS, our fleet is able to navigate all the obstacles with incredible precision. 
• Robotics: By relying on advanced robotics technology, you’re able to achieve full control of the vehicles, as if humans were driving them. Similar to other solutions on the list, robotics systems are able to replicate the input of human workers. 
• Fleet Solutions: If you have several vehicles in your possession, you’ll need fleet management software to oversee them. These programs allow you to improve resource allocation and coordinate between different teams, employees, and machines.

While each of these technologies is revolutionary in its own regard, they don’t work in a vacuum. Only by combining all these solutions can we utilize these vehicles. Together, the tech creates a basis, an ecosystem, that allows the use of heavy construction equipment. 

Practical Use Cases

With these machines, you can execute the following tasks:

• Transport Materials: Self-driving trucks are able to transfer materials, thus minimizing delays and streamlining logistics. Not only are these vehicles more efficient than humans, but they can also operate in various conditions.
• Digging and Earthmoving: With these machines, you’re handling various digging, leveling, and grading tasks. A single machine can handle a task that would otherwise require a team of educated professionals. 
• Quarrying and Mining: Regardless of the terrain features, these machines can excavate valuable resources with high precision and efficiency. They are especially valuable in remote, hard-to-access areas.
• Road Construction: Besides preparations, these machines are able to handle marking and paving. The great thing about automated robots is that they can ensure the same quality of work across different projects.
• Demolition Work: Another very dangerous task, demolition work can be performed with maximum accuracy by robots. Besides increasing safety for your workers, these automated machines are able to minimize debris and environmental impact. 
• Cranes: Working with cranes is a very tiresome and stressful job for employees. However, with automated solutions, you can execute them with high precision. 

Basically, with this equipment, you can perform just about any task on a construction site. However, you’ll need an equally skilled workforce to manage them.

Last Thoughts 

The construction business has been revamped with a plethora of modern, sophisticated AI-driven robots. These machines rely on GPS, sensors, and various other solutions to ensure higher safety and efficiency for your team.