MACHINE CONTROL operators need to know not only what people, equipment and materials are around them, but also whether there is something or someone standing in front or on top of the pile of dirt. “For situational awareness, you need to be able to do real-time mapping,” Kirk said. “Lidar and cameras, such as stereographic cameras, can be used as classifiers. Lidar can have limitations, such as when driving directly into the sun.” “The smarts for autonomy are knowing what the task is and how to perform that task,” Kirk said. “However, from the standpoint of a machine’s sensor and setup, we’re not controlling speed, though we do on agricultural machines. So, machines are matched really well for autonomy — you can make them do whatever you want today.” Examples of autonomous conduction systems were demonstrated in the off-site “sandbox” exhibit of Trimble Dimensions+ held in November 2002 in Las Vegas. There was an autonomous excavator, a compactor and a remote-control dozer. Yet these were operating in a controlled environment. Kirk said that for safety reasons, early adoptions of autonomy might be confined to sites that are not along roads and highways. Trimble A DEMONSTRATION IMPLEMENTATION of an autonomous excavator. at telling them what it is. “That’s why developers put in cameras, so that you can see whether what’s in front of you is a person, another vehicle, or something else. That’s why you have those combinations of sensors.” One of the reasons it will take longer to automate construction, Kirk explained, is that operators need to know much more about the nature of other objects in the construction environment than cars do on the road. The Local Position. Global Reach. MARCH 2023 | WWW.GPSWORLD.COM GPS WORLD 33
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