Automatic Earth and Sand Transportation of Large-size 6-Wheel Dump Trucks with 40t Loading Capacity Using Retrofit Technologies

Against the backdrop of a declining and aging workers and efforts to improve productivity at construction sites, there is a strong demand for automation of construction vehicles. We have developed autonomous dump trucks using retrofit technologies. This paper describes automatic earth and sand transportation of large-size 6 wheel dump trucks in cooperation with a human-operated backhoe. The automation system uses a drone to measure the 3D terrain, a retrofit driving robot and AI to control the dump truck, and sensor boxes to measure the backhoe operation. This achievement contributes to the automation of construction vehicles owned by construction company and rental companies.