AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
At Bauma 2019, Yanmar Compact Equipment unveiled its
innovative autonomous excavator concept, the eFuzion.
Packed with new technology, the eFuzion demonstrates the depth
of Yanmar’s global R&D e ort in developing and implementing
innovative technologies. Developed by the company’s robotics
research team, eFuzion is a working precision machine with a
robot arm, that shows the possibilities of construction machinery
in the future.
“EFuzion gathered some of the technologies we have been
investigating at Yanmar’s research centers,” says Marta Niccolini,
robotic group leader at Yanmar. “Since Bauma we have continued
to perform our research in the eld of robotics, always trying to
improve existing technologies and investigate new ones. ere
are a number of companies involved in robotics, but most activity
takes place at the academic level. In my opinion Yanmar is
unique in this way.”
e unveiling at Bauma allowed Yanmar
to share their vision for
construction in a future
world where
digitalization and
connectivity are
paramount, hoping
6m3
to inspire
creativity
and trigger
discussions about
possibilities of
autonomy.
“We wanted to
display the innovation
capabilities of Yanmar in
key technologies such as
connectivity, robotics, e-mobility
and computer-assisted operations,” says Niccolini. “Our goal as
a research center is always to remain a few steps ahead of market
requirements and be ready to ful l our customers’ future needs.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that this is a concept machine and we are
aware that the construction market is not yet ready for such
advanced technologies. ere are many challenges for robotics in
construction. It is di erent from other industry elds where the
introduction of robotics has already radically changed the way
human workers operate. e construction industry has yet to
fully experience its ‘robotic revolution’.”
Barriers to entry
e obstacles preventing robot proliferating within the
construction industry are manifold. First are site-related
challenges. e inherently unstructured nature of construction
sites as compared to factories prevents straightforward
integration of robotic technologies. ere also remains a sceptical
attitude from stakeholders involved in the process – construction
companies, clients and regulatory bodies – who have a tendency
The size of the cube in which
Yanmar’s eFuzion operated
completely autnomously
during a demonstration at
Bauma Munich 2019
MECHANIZED VS ROBOTIC
Very often there is a confl ation between the words ‘mechanized’ and
‘robotic’. The chief difference between the two is that mechanization
provides the tools to perform a task that was previously done by hand
but a human is 100% responsible for all movements and activities.
Robotic on the other hand means a robot has perception of what’s
happening around it, interpreting its environment, making decisions and
acting autonomously. There may occasionally be a need for human
operator intervention but unlike a robot, a mechanized tool is 100% in the
control of the human.
40 iVT International Off-Highway 2020