An era is opening in which fully unmanned, autonomous excavators that perform tasks without a human driver are working at construction sites. With a strong push for automation due to a shortage of skilled labor and safety issues, observers say the market is expected to grow rapidly.
On the 8th, market research firm Fortune Business Insights said the global market for "autonomous construction equipment" is expected to grow from $17.71 billion (about 24 trillion won) this year to $35.22 billion (about 48 trillion won) by 2034. The compound annual growth rate is projected to reach around 9%.
Autonomous construction equipment includes automated machines equipped with cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent excavators that assist operators, and unmanned, autonomous construction machines that move fully autonomously without a driver. The concept also includes components.
Fortune Business Insights added, "Labor shortages and rising wages at construction sites are accelerating the adoption of autonomous construction equipment," noting, "In particular, fully autonomous construction equipment is leading the market."
In fact, cases of unmanned, autonomous excavators being deployed to actual construction sites have been appearing one after another recently. On the initial civil engineering site of about 920,000 cubic meters under construction by U.S. contractor Champion Site prep last month in Texas, fully autonomous, unmanned excavators capable of tasks such as hauling earth were deployed.
The excavator is a product of U.S. construction machinery maker Caterpillar. It is equipped with an AI-based autonomous system developed by Bedrock Robotics, a developer of autonomous and unmanned systems for construction machinery. The excavator can perform complex tasks such as learning its surroundings and planning travel routes on its own.
The equipment monitors excavation progress on its own, and it is fitted with a safety response system that automatically stops when a person is nearby. Bedrock Robotics said this is the first time that an autonomous, unmanned excavator equipped with this system has been deployed on-site in an "operator-out" mode without human supervision or intervention.
The productivity of the excavator deployed on-site is currently understood to be at a level similar to that of a person. Bedrock Robotics measures excavator productivity based on the volume of earth moved during one shift.
Bedrock Robotics said it conducted a one-year demonstration phase to deploy the excavator to actual construction sites. Autonomous, unmanned excavators equipped with the system were also deployed to a civil engineering site in Texas and a water treatment facility construction site in Nevada. Bedrock Robotics said its goal is for multiple machines, such as excavators and bulldozers, to collaborate at construction sites.
Gravis Robotics, another developer of autonomous driving systems for excavators, is supplying autonomous and unmanned solutions to products from several construction machinery makers, including Holcim and Hitachi, and is conducting product demonstrations. A fully autonomous, unmanned excavator equipped with this solution is also set for launch before product shipments begin.
The company raised $200 million in a Series A round last month from SoftBank. Gravis Robotics plans to use the investment to accelerate commercialization of its autonomous and unmanned construction machinery system, "Gravis Rack."
A Gravis Robotics official said, "We have already completed verification on-site with a variety of actual equipment," adding, "With this investment, we will push to integrate autonomous and unmanned systems into heavy equipment across the construction market."
Major Korean construction machinery makers are also preparing to commercialize autonomous, unmanned excavators. HD Construction Equipment is testing excavators by deploying them to real construction sites.
In April, HD Construction Equipment deployed one excavator to a construction site in the Thurgau region of Switzerland to conduct a field demonstration aimed at verifying the excavator's work performance and autonomous functions in real working conditions. Similar tests are planned at Korean construction sites within the year.
Doosan Bobcat is also pushing demonstration work after signing a business agreement in June with Korean AI company Maum AI to apply physical AI to construction equipment products. In Aug. last year, it also opened the eFORCE LAB, a research center in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, for electrifying construction equipment.
A construction machinery industry official said, "Unlike factories where general robots are deployed, the terrain and environment at sites change in real time, so the pace of autonomy had been slow, but the technology has now reached the level of commercialization." The official added, "However, Korea applies stringent regulations similar to those for self-driving cars, and how companies respond to regulation will be key to rapid commercialization."