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CONSTRUCTION SITE

Learn about future machines that operate without a driver.

How smart can you make
a wheel loader?

Imagine a wheel loader that performs tasks, loads and unloads without an operator. We've already built one of those. The question is how much smarter can we make them.

How smart can you make
a wheel loader?

Imagine a wheel loader that performs tasks, loads and unloads without an operator. We've already built one of those. The question is how much smarter can we make them.
Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke stated that "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." 30 years ago vehicles were mainly mechanical and there was a direct link between the driver, brakes and engine. Today every such connection has sensors and computers that help the driver, increases safety and improves performance. This is the foundation for intelligent machines.

Volvo Construction Equipment is an exciting experimental playground where future technologies can be applied in a way which isn't possible in other segments. Our machines operate in closed environments where traffic and non-professional humans aren't necessarily issues to consider. This means we can move forward faster.

Sensors and processors

We are used to machines that warn us when things go wrong; when the oil pressure is low or a fuse needs to be changed. These warnings either call for a full stop or allow us to continue running the machine. For a human operator it's hard to know how much pressure a machine can handle. For an intelligent machine it's easy, it can calculate complex data in a way which isn't humanly possible - if you pardon the pun.

As vehicles are gaining "awareness" of their surroundings it's possible for them to make decisions based on an ever increasing amount of information. An excavator, for example, can adapt to an impaired function by taking smaller loads in situations where human operators often would ignore warning signals. This type of intelligence means that machines can potentially sense resistance, calibrate weight in a bucket, adapt the hydraulic pressure and optimise efficiency depending on the situation.

Also, we are experiencing rapid growth in construction equipment production, predicted to continue for a long while, which will put ever higher demands on productivity. Autonomous technology provides tools to meet these demands.

When will we see autonomous machines?

It will still be a few years before we will see a lot of machines with this type of intelligence, but it's exactly what Volvo Group engineers and researchers are working on. Progress may also come faster than you expect; Moore's law dictates that capacity doubles every two years and its exponential curve is further triggered by efficiency and cost savings in production. Perhaps it will only be a few years before autonomous machines are an everyday occurrence. Of course some businesses are more likely than others to be suitable for a high degree of automation. This is most obviously true for areas where human beings are exposed to dangers and where the tasks are simple and monotonous.




And what will they look like?

Increased intelligence is just one aspect of these machines; smartness of design is equally important. When the very first cars were built they looked very similar to a horse carriage. As time went by they gradually evolved into their present streamlined look. The same is expected to be true for machines that need no drivers. When human beings no longer operate excavators, wheel loaders and other machinery, the cab will not be necessary. We have an exciting time ahead of us imagining and designing new types of construction equipment. For the moment, our machines look very much like they always have, but don't let that fool you; there is a revolution going on inside. We're hoping that you're the right person to envision what the next generation will look like and what wonders it will perform.

The future of autonomous machines

We have set up a few goals that we hope our engineers, researchers
and designers can help us reach.

We want our autonomous machines to:

  • Be involved in zero accidents
  • Have zero emissions
  • Have 100% availability
  • Have ~10 times higher energy
    efficiency
How strong is your maths?

Calculate battery capacity

Imagine a construction site with excavators and wheel loaders driving back and forth - quietly. These machines are not only autonomous, they're powered by electricity. The energy consumption of such machines can be supervised and controlled to a very high degree. But how big will the battery have to be (in kWh) to support them? Calculate the size of the battery needed for this wheel loader's autonomous operation:
  • 500 short loading cycles. Each cycle consists of the following tasks:
- Driving into a pile, filling the bucket, reversing from the pile, approaching a hauler and emptying the bucket. Finally the machine reverses back to the starting point.
  • Effective power usage during each cycle, with no recovered energy fed back into the battery, is approximated based on this data:
- Each cycle is 30.0 seconds long in duration - Power during each cycle is P(t) =102295.1+30653.9*sin(2*pi*0.03125*t)+9136.8* sin(2*pi*0.0625*t)+19658.3* sin(2*pi*0.09375*t)+7520.8* sin(2*pi*0.125*t)
  • Efficiency from battery to consumer (we have losses in resistance, switching and motor) is 80 %
  • Brake energy at each stopping point is recovered back to battery at 50 %.
- Stopping points are: reversing point after pile (figure A), stopping point at hauler (figure B), and reversing point after hauler (figure C). - No brakes are applied when entering into the pile to fill the bucket, so no energy is recovered. - Machine weight is 18,000 kg including battery, bucket and lift arms; and bucket load is 7,000 kg. Assume no other losses than the 50% mentioned previously, since resistance etc. is included in this figure. - Speed is 3 m/s when braking
  • 50% of energy is recovered back to battery when lowering bucket after emptying into hauler.
- Bucket and lift arms weigh 2,000 kg, mass centre for these at the highest position (emptying into hauler) is 3 metres, and at the lowest point it is 0.5 metres (before digging in pile starts). Note: The answer must be correct to one decimal point. YOUR ANSWER IS?
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Teaching machines about human stress

What if you could build smart machines that are aware of an operator's workload and can adapt themselves accordingly? A key to developing machines like that is to track human behaviour in Human in the Loop simulators.

Teaching machines about human stress

What if you could build smart machines that are aware of an operator's workload and can adapt themselves accordingly? A key to developing machines like that is to track human behaviour in Human in the Loop simulators.

Human in the loop

When designing a new product, or improving an old one, engineers often rely on mathematical simulations before they build prototypes. But there are always things that such calculations can't account for, especially when it comes to human behaviour. Volvo's Human in the Loop (HITL) simulators connect a real-life operator to a simulated machine, filling the gap between maths and actual prototypes.

Observing human behaviour

One use of HITL technology is when creating machines that are aware of the operator's workload. You can't expose a real human being to stress in a potentially dangerous situation, but you also cannot calculate how human beings will react under pressure without actually stressing them. HITL simulators make it possible to assess workload by measuring psychophysiological factors such as heart rate, finger temperature and galvanic skin response in a realistic simulation. That information is then used to develop technology that helps the operator and reduces the workload. Volvo Group's engineers focus especially on making machines smarter; developing support systems and autonomous functions that can actively assist the operator.

Significant benefits

HITL is beneficial in any project where a human being plays a significant role. It can be used when designing everything from new pedals to complex active safety systems. At Volvo Group our main focus is to make machine and human interaction as harmonious as possible, leading to less stress and reduced effort. Ultimately, it enables the operator to focus more on the actual task, promoting considerable long-term benefits in terms of safety, fuel efficiency and productivity.