NOVEMBER 2022 Ӏ REMOTE CONTROLS
But it is not the sort of task that really challenges an equipment operator. What if equipment could move autonomously, without an operator, freeing them, and their skills, for where they are most valuable? That’s the approach being taken
by SafeAI. The company recently partnered with Siemens and Obayashi to develop prototypes of its retrofitted autonomous solution in Cupertino, California. SafeAI explains that its system
j Mitsui Construction Company
(SMCC) in Japan used its own construction information system, in combination with RoboRigger’s load orientation system, fitted on an IHI tower crane, to test an autonomous lifting system for precast concrete elements. The entire site is mapped in a building information management (BIM) system, and each element is tracked upon delivery using RFID tags and GNSS satellite positioning. These data are used to calculate the best path for the load. In the current prototype Tower Crane Operation Support System, an operator confirms the path calculated by the system for each load. As the pre-cast element is lifted automatically across the site, the RoboRigger orientates and adjusts its position. SMCC says the system will help
reduce the impact of a shortage of skilled operators, and will be safer and easier than manual operation. RoboRigger, and its Australian counterpart Verton, both use gyroscopes to orient the load. US- based Vita Inclinata’s Load Navigator uses small, high torque, electrically powered thrusters on either side of the system to adjust its orientation.
94 CRANES TODAY Sumitomo Mitsui
Construction Company is pioneering autonomous tower crane operation in Tokyo, with RoboRigger and IHI
The Load Navigator was recently tested out on a tower crane erection by Creative Lifting Services (CLS) in Boulder, Colorado. When installing tower crane sections, rigging crews on the tower crane must normally communicate with their colleagues on the ground, using tag line to position the elements. Vita Inclinata’s Load Navigator instead uses two sets of remote controls with a ‘handshake’ system to pass control between the team. This eliminates the need for staff on the ground to stand below the load, while ensuring that the riggers closest to the installation point can precisely position the load. When using a mobile crane to
lift long tower crane elements, there is always a risk of the load spinning or being caught by a gust of wind, and striking the telescopic boom. On this first job, CLS kept tag lines in place as a back-up protection against this risk. However, with the Load Navigator able to maintain the correct orientation of loads of up to 40t in wind speeds of up to 30mph, these were not needed.
AUTONOMOUS ON-SITE TRAVEL On a large site, moving mobile equipment can be time-consuming.
allows heavy equipment owners to convert aftermarket vehicles and fleets through its retrofit autonomous vehicle hardware kit and industry-specific software, regardless of vehicle type or manufacturer, while delivering significant gains through increased productivity, safety and cost savings. On the trial site, the companies
have, since October 2021, successfully tested and deployed an articulated autonomous dump truck to complete over 580 load- haul-dump cycles. Earlier this year, a fleet of construction trucks ranging from 45 to 65 tons and operated by Obayashi Corporation was identified to be retrofitted for autonomy and zero emission. In May 2022, the companies began retrofitting the first 45 ton vehicle, which is expected to be ready by the end of 2022.
The collaboration will continue scaling across the entire fleet over a three-year period.
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE So, how might these technologies come together on cranes used in the construction industry? It seems unlikely that autonomous operation will be of immediate value to crane hire fleets taking on taxi work and other short term jobs. Site conditions will be too varied, and while the ability to drive cranes long distances to site without an
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