HD Hyundai Site Solutions is set to enhance autonomous excavator technology by participating in the development of a virtual environment platform.
The company announced on October 25 that it has been selected as the primary contractor for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's national project aimed at developing a high-precision simulation-based digital twin platform for AI autonomous excavators.
This national project has a total budget of 6.33 billion won and is scheduled to run until December 2029. It will be conducted in a consortium that includes Simji Co., the Korea Construction Equipment Research Institute, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and the Korea Construction Equipment Industry Association.
The core of this project is to replicate the operational methods of construction equipment and the physical interactions between equipment and soil in a virtual space. Based on this, the plan is to establish a digital twin platform capable of designing major equipment such as excavators, wheel loaders, and articulated dump trucks (ADTs), as well as developing and validating AI autonomous technology.
Previously, the development of autonomous technology for construction machinery faced challenges in quickly validating it under various site conditions due to equipment and environmental constraints and safety issues. With the establishment of this platform, it is expected that technology can be pre-validated in a virtual space and compared and analyzed with actual equipment operation data, thereby improving development efficiency.
HD Hyundai Site Solutions will be responsible for deriving standard specifications for the virtual simulation component database, conducting field validations, and evaluating operational scenarios. By leveraging accumulated field data and practical experience, the company aims to enhance the commercialization potential of the technology and expand its AI and digital transformation initiatives to address the shortage of skilled workers and the demand for improved safety on construction sites.
Gwak Seong-kyu, Executive Director of Virtual Technology at HD Hyundai Site Solutions, stated, "We are honored to participate in a key project that will lead the AI autonomy in the construction machinery industry. Based on our verified know-how, we will actively contribute to the mass production of autonomous technology, enhancing safety and productivity on future construction sites."
In April, HD Hyundai Site Solutions collaborated with AI-based autonomy company Gravis Robotics to supply an autonomous excavator to the Swiss construction site of European construction group KIBAG for the first time. This equipment is a 22-ton medium-sized excavator equipped with the 'Real-X' solution, which combines the technologies of both companies. HD Hyundai Site Solutions is expanding the application of autonomous construction equipment based on this.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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