The mining giant Rio Tinto is using 69 driverless 400-ton trucks in Australia. They operate 24 hours a day, year-round. Komatsu last month unveiled the D85PXi-18 dozer, which uses satellites to automatically control the machine’s blade.
When Fady Masoud was pursuing his degree in civil engineering, he didn't envision the technological changes in construction that would eventually guide his career in a new direction.
Masoud, vice president of Tapestry Partners of Auburn, these days divides his time between working in the Northwest and frequent trips to Hawaii, where Tapestry consults with local contractors on software and hardware for semi-autonomous machinery that is part of a transformation in the way construction sites operate.
“We use this technology every day,” Masoud said, “from excavators to dozers for grading roads.”
New GPS-guiding technology for heavy machinery is flourishing as contractors search for ways to work more efficiently, he said.
This technology — combining software and GPS systems — is making it possible for contractors on large highway and earthwork construction projects to use semi-autonomous equipment for bulldozing and road grading, as well as quarry work.