Future Construction Sites Envisioned by Hitachi Construction Machinery

By linking data in the construction site, we aim to improve the safety and productivity of the entire site. Equipment and sensing systems collect real-time data in construction site, such as equipment location and operational status, worker location and biometric information, and changes in terrain as work progresses. This accumulated data is used to analyze risks within the construction site, and the results are shared to improve safety. Reference is also made to weather forecasts and other external information to prepare for future risks.

Given the declining production workforce and the aging of skilled workers, the challenge in the construction industry is to increase productivity with less man-power. One promising solution to this problem is autonomous construction equipment and remote operations. This shows that the need for equipment on construction sites is changing from “equipment that is operated by people to do what they want” to “equipment that performs a job in the way people want it to.” In order to respond to these changing needs and varied demands of the site, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group developed the ZCORE®, a system platform to enable the equipment system to “recognize, make judgments, and execute,” which operators conventionally do at construction sites.

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The concept of “Collaborative Safety” is designed to enhance the safety and productivity of the entire site by sharing data on people, machinery, and construction environment within the site. Not only does it “visualize” the location and condition of people and machines, it also uses that data to alert people and control the movement of construction equipment, ensuring the safety of the site as a whole. Hitachi Construction Machinery calls construction equipment that operates autonomously to achieve Collaborative safety “Collaborative Construction Equipment” envisioning this as a model for the next generation of construction machinery. (Picture is a prototype excavator applied with ZCORE®)

We are promoting research and development of an automatic digging and loading system using a prototype wheel loader applied with the “ZCORE®”. As an operator instructs, the wheel loader repeats operations of digging at a specified position, automatically traveling along the route, and loading at the targeted position. The operator can instruct work through own computer and monitor progress and system status during automatic operation from remote location.