A Whole New Technology Experience at CONEXPO-CON/AGG

New 75,000-square-foot exhibit is dedicated solely to presenting new construction innovations and emerging technologies that will drive change and improvement across the construction industry

ROBO Industries has been working to build the Autonomous and Intelligent Machine Control (AIMC) system that can plug into an existing machine and convert it into a fully autonomous and smart robot that delivers self-driving and navigation, accurate operating control, real-time data-based mission planning, reliable environment awareness and collision avoidance, and many other features and capabilities.
ROBO Industries has been working to build the Autonomous and Intelligent Machine Control (AIMC) system that can plug into an existing machine and convert it into a fully autonomous and smart robot that delivers self-driving and navigation, accurate operating control, real-time data-based mission planning, reliable environment awareness and collision avoidance, and many other features and capabilities.

Organizers of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 want attendees to “Imagine what’s next,” and that will be a lot easier this year with the addition of the Tech Experience pavilion. The 75,000-square-foot exhibit is dedicated solely to presenting new construction innovations and emerging technologies that will drive change and improvement across the construction industry.

Located in Silver Lot 3 outside the Convention Center, attendees are invited to “step into the future of the construction industry”.

“The Tech Experience will be a great showcase to see what is possible already today and what will be tomorrow,” says Antti Korhonen, president and CEO of Redpoint Positioning Corp., which will be exhibiting at the Tech Experience pavillion. “Here at Tech Experience visitors can see the latest technology drivers and discuss their impact on the construction industry.”

“With the new Tech Experience, CONEXPO-CON/AGG is advancing to a new level of thought leadership in our industry,” says Sara Truesdale Mooney, show director and vice president exhibitions and business development for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “We’re looking for our members’ bravest and most innovative ideas.”

“The Tech Experience will not only present a vision for the future of our industry but it will also raise awareness of technologies that enhance safety, productivity and profitability,” Mooney says. “Attendees will explore three key zones: the worksite of the future, the jobs of the future and the infrastructure of the future.”

In addition to new and emerging jobsite technologies, the Tech Experience will also feature innovative wearables designed to enhance safety, health and productivity; cutting-edge skills for careers of the future; and new materials to enhance infrastructure, among others.

“We’ll also feature additional engagement zones including a Maker Beta Lab that will feature a collaborative future factory environment and the world’s first fully functional 3D-printed excavator,” Mooney adds.

“This interactive experience will ensure that users can obtain a full sense of how state-of-the-art technology can be applied to their construction applications and/or across industries,” says Jeff Allan, CEO of HBC-radiomatic, Inc. “The Tech Experience will add another dimension beyond a typical trade show and offer visitors the opportunity to identify where the industry and its technologies are heading.” 

The Tech Experience will have over 30 exhibits for attendees to explore.

A sneak peek from exhibitors

Redpoint Positioning Corp
Wearable safety devices on the jobsite

Redpoint Positioning Corp is a technology company specializing in IoT/cloud/wearable solutions. The company’s innovative indoor GPS generates accurate location information with up to 8-inch accuracy where traditional GPS does not work.

Redpoint’s construction solutions include wireless asset tags and wearable safety badges and vests to generate cloud-based tracking information and alerts.

“Redpoint is transforming the way the construction industry is monitoring its jobsite operations for improved efficiency and safety,” says Antti Korhonen, president and CEO of Redpoint.

Redpoint will be showing off its Redpoint safety vest with flashing LED lights at its Tech Experience exhibit. The vest tracks a wearer’s location with integrated location tags. The benefit of this product is that contractors will have real-time location data allowing them better visibility into operations, workers, asset and tool locations. It also improves safety and efficiency with real-time view and geo-fencing alerts, Korhonen says. 

At its CONEXPO Tech Experience booth, attendees can see how the vests work in person and watch as people wearing the Redpoint safety vests enter the virtual safety zones and the vest's warning flashes start.

SiteTrax.io by Netarus
Consolidating big data into real-time analytics

Netarus LLC, a developer of camera systems for heavy equipment and cranes, is releasing the first beta version of SiteTrax.io, an analytics engine that enables real-time analytics from the jobsite by capturing video and imagery from virtually any camera system and generating high resolution photos of the jobsite, 3D point clouds and digital surface maps. SiteTrax.io was developed to aggregate all the information from Netarus’ HoistCam camera system into a single platform that can process the visual data regardless of where the images are stored. SiteTrax.io is powered by Pix4D’s analytics engine.

“The construction industry is being flooded by numerous tools, analytics and data engines which is creating a problem in the industry known as big data,” says Chris Machut, chief technology office for Netarus. “SiteTrax.io is the platform to consolidate the video capture tools such as drones and analytics engines into an easy to use single platform.  SiteTrax.io reduces the time and burden of information overload in today’s construction environment by bringing all the tools together into one platform.”

Using deliverables within SiteTrax.io generated from Pix4D software, construction managers can monitor construction sites as they evolve enabling them to view the as-built situation of the site for up-to-date measurements and continued analysis — making earthwork management and detailed virtual inspections more efficient, Machut says.

Netarus will be demonstrating SiteTrax.io’s real-time analytics capabilities at its booth at the CONEXPO Tech Experience. Pix4D and Netarus will have a demo site within the Tech Experience demonstrating how SiteTrax.io and Pix4D’s analytics engine scans the jobsite and produces useable and actionable data from aerial mounted camera systems including Netarus’s HoistCam. 

“The key to SiteTrax.io is the pre-processing algorithms that use analytics tools such as Pix4D to analyze the data captured from the jobsite,” Machut says. “SiteTrax.io provides the ‘glue’ to connect video and images to analytics. This ‘glue’ provides real-time actionable data need by the industry.” 

Robo Industries, Inc (ROBO)
Fully autonomous heavy equipment making the jobsite safer 

Robo Industries, Inc. (ROBO) is a Houston-based startup providing an artificial intelligence (AI) based control solution for heavy equipment with the goal of making the equipment a fully autonomous operation.

“At ROBO, we strongly believe advanced AI will bring significant benefits to the construction industry and serve as a key solution to improve productivity, reduce costs, increase efficiency, eliminate safety risks, lower energy consumption and, ultimately, root out existing problems and accelerate the industry into a fully automatic, intelligent, safe and environment friendly era,” says Leon Wang of ROBO. 

At the CONEXPO Tech Experience, ROBO will feature a demo machine with the sensor packages, control hardware, electronic systems and AI software allowing attendees a first-hand experience of what this autonomous heavy equipment looks like and how it performs.

The demo machine will be exhibited in the outdoor area, but inside ROBO will show a field operation video and educational animation giving attendees an in-depth understanding of what the system is capable of and how it will impact the industry. ROBO will also have an interactive software program providing attendees a 3D visualization of the future jobsite with autonomous heavy equipment. A simulated operating environment will let attendees see how the autonomous machine is controlled and how the data is processed.

Hilti ON!Track
Manage assets on and off the jobsite

Hilti will be exhibiting its ON!Track asset management system, a digital solution that provides contractors visibility into who has their assets, where those assets are located and allows tracking as the assets are moved between warehouses and jobsites.

ON!Track also enables contractors to proactively manage repairs and inspections, set reminders for maintenance and verify proper training and certifications before assigning certain assets. 

“For contractors, asset loss is an expensive cost of doing business. Keeping track of these assets and monitoring important items such as required certifications, inspections and maintenance records can be a time-consuming hassle for the construction professional,” says Ryan Clayburn of Hilti Inc. The ON!Track solution was specifically designed to help reduce liability and save money.

At the Hilti exhibit, attendees will have the opportunity to experience a hands-on demonstration of ON!Track. The booth will also be showing videos of real life examples of how this system increases productivity and enhances worker safety. 

HBC-radiomatic Inc.
Improving safety through radio control systems

Radio control systems manufacturer HBC-radiomatic Inc. will be offering visitors to its Tech Experience booth a hands-on feel for its HBC-radiomatic technologies including the radiomatic photon, an innovative assistant for the control of machinery within complex working environments. A video camera installed on the machine provides live video to a color display on the radio control allowing the operator to see into hard to access areas and blind spots. This provides a clear overview of the machine status and operation without the need to be at the machine. 

Visitor’s to HBC’s exhibit will be able to get hands-on experience and control a scale model of a bulldozer in a construction environment. Visitors will be able to perform a series of challenging tasks utilizing HBC’s radio remote control technology. Operators will also be able to see live video footage from the machine model’s perspective through radiomatic photon. 

HBC will also showcase its merlin TUC (Transmitter User Card) which serves as the key to activate the control and protects the control from unauthorized use.

Zonar
Software enables fleets greater control of operations 

Zonar will be exhibiting its Zonar Connect, a next generation tablet and software ecosystem empowering fleets to take greater control of their operations. Attendees will be able to get their hands on the tablet and see how it delivers management tools for commercial vehicle operations including compliance, safety and efficiency monitoring. The hands-on experience will help Zonar demonstrate how Connect is more than just a tablet but a platform that can integrate with a contractor’s other systems and scale to meet growing needs. 

Connect is also Electronic Logging Device (ELD) ready, and AOBRD self-certified which allows fleets to avoid hours of service (HOS) violations, maintain a low Compliance Safety and Accountability (CSA) score and comply with the ELD Mandate going into effect December 2017.

The construction industry is entering an age in connected commercial vehicles where the capabilities go beyond the individual vehicle and extend to fleet management and industry decisions regarding job bidding, safety, efficiency and compliance,” says Kurt Nantkes, senior vice president at Zonar. “Connect is designed to exceed industry needs with ELD readiness, Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR) and a growing number of apps built in a scalable environment to address needs further down the road. We believe that Connect is the path forward for designing and delivering the next generation of solutions for the smart fleet management era.”

The Georgia Institute of Technology
Improving heavy equipment operator interface
 

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a university centered on engineering, science and technology. Georgia Tech has designed a number of novel human operator interfaces and will be exhibiting several of its innovative interfaces at the Tech Experience, according to Wayne Book of Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech’s exhibit will include a simulation of a trenching task and the institute’s most promising interface controlling a trenching excavator, Book says. “We have shown that this not only improves performance, reduces errors, reduces training time and saves fuel but it does so without greatly increasing the cost or preventing the legacy interface from being employed if so desired.” The extensive hands-on experience will include controlling a simulated mini-excavator. 

According to Book, Georgia Tech plans to incorporate the data on the operator performance gathered at CONEXPO into its test results.

Volvo Construction Equipment North America
Focusing on improving productivity and operator performance through technology

Volvo CE will be exhibiting a few of its technologies at its Tech Exhibit booth, including the currently available Volvo Load Assist and Volvo Intelligent Compaction with Density Direct, which are available through Volvo’s Co-Pilot interface. Visitors to Volvo’s Tech Experience exhibit will be able to take part in a first-person virtual reality experience to learn more about Load Assist and Intelligent Compaction with Density Direct. 

The company will also debut a new addition to its Assist Services — Dig Assist. With Assist Services, Volvo is helping make every operator the best they can be by providing information and guidance directly in the cab via the Co-Pilot interface.

Volvo will also be exhibiting a scale model of its electric site research project. The project involves using electricity instead of diesel to power construction equipment. As part of the project, Volvo is developing new machines, work methods and site management systems, says Uwe Mueller, chief project manager with Volvo Construction Equipment.

This scale model is a replica of the machines used on the electric site project. New machine concepts include an autonomous, battery electric load carrier, a hybrid wheel loader and a cable-connected excavator.

Visitors to Volvo’s Tech Experience exhibit will also have the opportunity to view animated and futuristic videos showing the electrified transport stage in action.

“This research project is pushing boundaries to help transform the quarry and aggregates industry,” Mueller says. “Through the project, Volvo CE is aiming to deliver significant reductions in fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, environmental impact, cost per ton and total cost of ownership. The electrification of construction equipment will produce cleaner, quieter and more efficient machines — this represents the future of the industry.” 

MuHu
Driver safety app helping prevent accidents

MuHu’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) driver safety app uses smartphone cameras, image processing and in-vehicle networking to proactively prevent accidents through warnings and alerts.

At it’s CONEXPO Tech Experience exhibit, MuHu will be demoing the app and its visual intelligence capabilities. The company hopes it will help customers see why and how machine learning, connected vehicles and open platform technology are the future of the construction industry, says Razae Mabanta, marketing director of MuHu.

The exhibit will provide an interactive live demonstration of how using a driver’s smartphone the app can stream live video to a web portal for the fleet manager. The live demonstration will also show support analytics of additional features of the app.

JCA Electronics
Applying autonomous technology to heavy equipment components 

JCA Electronics designs, manufactures and supports all types of electronic control components and systems for companies in construction. The company will be demonstrating a JCA control system on a model bulldozer with a ripper at its Tech Experience exhibit.

Visitors to JCA’s exhibit will be able to drive the bulldozer model and experience what can be done through a phone or tablet both on a model and on real equipment. JCA anticipates demonstrating operational and monitoring capability as well as how to utilize mapping tools, environmental information, data logging, prognostic features and sensor information.

“We hope to show that the operators', site managers' and OEMs' experiences can all be enhanced by these tools, allowing the work to be done more efficiently, having the equipment work at peak performance, and sharing prognostic information to all three parties for effective maintenance,” says JCA Electronics President John Anderson. 

Pillar Technologies
Building the connected construction site

Pillar Technologies will be exhibiting its end-to-end environmental monitoring solution designed to help contractors identify dangerous environmental conditions. The product offering includes a smart sensor network deployed across the jobsite, which is capable of measuring seven different environmental metrics. These metrics help with builders’ risk and construction defect challenges such as fire outbreak, leak detection and mold growth conditions.

Pillar Technologies Tech Experience booth will feature simulations demonstrating real world conditions and how the data generated from its monitoring solution can be used to help contractors make better decisions during the building process. The simulations will include the real-time feedback loop from the smart sensor modules delivered as actionable insights delivered directly to the contractor.

“Our technology is providing contractors with a way to improve quality and safety while reducing project setbacks and risks,” says Alex Schwarzkopf of Pillar Technologies. “ROI analysis on our last round of product testing revealed a 900% return on investment.”

Ditch Witch
Adding virtual reality to operator training

Ditch Witch will be showcasing its new Ditch Witch Virtual Reality Training Simulator, which fully immerses trainees into a virtual reality horizontal directional drilling (HDD) jobsite experience. This technology simulates a HDD jobsite allowing the user to sit in a virtual cab and use joystick controls to operate the drill in real-life environments, says Greg Wolfe, Ditch Witch director of training.

“The Tech Experience program provides show attendees a glimpse at our newest, groundbreaking technology creating new opportunities for next-generation operators in the underground construction industry. We are able to showcase our organization’s continued dedication to providing comprehensive HDD training while leveraging new developments with virtual reality to engage, train and prepare the next generation of HDD operators,” Wolfe says.

“HDD operators are in high demand, and this virtual reality simulator technology engages with that next generation of drill operators entering the market. It provides Ditch Witch personnel the opportunity to train and prepare new operators with familiar technology in an innovative, engaging format. It expands on the traditional online and classroom training, providing trainees a comprehensive understanding of drill operation in a real-life, 3D jobsite setting.”

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