Tag: innovations: Page 2

Construction Equipment

2014 Equipment World Innovations Awards: The 5 game-changing construction products of the last year

OEMs fielded many good new products last year, but only a handful are truly innovative game changers. We’ve put together a collection of five products that, in no particular order, gave those in construction better, more efficient ways to work and, in general, simply rocked our industry.   Hilti Hollow Drill Bit Conventional hammer drill […]

January 6, 2014

Construction Equipment

2014 Innovations Winner: Cummins 5.0L V8 diesel engine

With the introduction of the Cummins 5.0L V8, a lightweight, technologically sophisticated V8 diesel engine, Cummins has changed the game when it comes to powerplants for light- and medium-duty applications. The engine has two names and two iterations. The ISV5.0 is the commercial version of the engine. Cummins is positioning this as a fuel-efficient alternative […]

January 6, 2014

Construction Equipment

2014 Innovations Winner: WeighSafe Hitch

One of those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that-moments” came during a walk through the 2013 Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) New Product Showcase last November. Of more than 2,200 new products on display, the WeighSafe Hitch, invented by mechanical engineer and hydraulic expert Kevin McAllister, caught our attention. The WeighSafe Hitch has a built-in tongue-weight gauge activated by a […]

January 6, 2014

Construction Equipment

2014 Innovations Winner: Komatsu D61i-23 dozer with integrated machine control

When it came to bringing the D61i-23 dozer to market, Komatsu engineers decided that they wanted to take the next step forward in the evolution of machine control. There are plenty of plug-and-play aftermarket machine control options available, but Komatsu wanted to seamlessly integrate machine control into the dozer body itself. And beyond that, they […]

January 6, 2014

Roadbuilding

Seven states use technology, innovative solutions to combat extreme winter weather

It’s no secret that extreme winter weather can drive up costs, forcing state transportation departments to think creatively when looking for effective solutions within their budgets. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) President and Secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Mike Hancock notes that some DOTs have found solutions to cut costs, […]

December 26, 2013

Construction Equipment

Japanese companies develop 300-ton pendulums that reduce swaying in skyscrapers during earthquakes

Two Japanese companies have developed giant pendulums they say, when installed atop a skyscraper, can shorten vibrations and reduce swaying caused by earthquakes by as much as 60 percent. Mitsui Fudosan, a real estate developer, and construction firm Kajima developed a 300-ton pendulum that, according to a report from CNET, “will act as a counterweight […]

August 15, 2013

Construction Equipment

Researchers turn cement into metal that could be used in electronics

A collective of researchers from the U.S., Finland, Germany and Japan have connected a few dots that weren’t particularly obvious. The group, according to a report from The Atlantic, has figured out a way to turn cement into metal. The researchers employed lasers and a process known as electron trapping to melt mayenite—also known as […]

May 29, 2013

Construction Equipment

Truckers can’t miss Australia’s water curtain stop signs

Via our sister site Better Roads and the always entertaining Jalopnik, when faced with the rampant problem of semi trucks entering tunnels and overpasses with too short a clearance, the city government in Sydney, Australia has turned to an extremely clever implementation of the stop sign that simply can’t be ignored. As you can see […]

May 17, 2013

Construction Equipment

Welding helmet with air filter wins Popular Science Invention Award

Popular Science has tapped an innovative new welding helmet as one of its 2013 Invention Awards winners. The Windmaker, developed by metalworker Michael Buckman, has been in the works since 1999 when Buckman inhaled so many noxious fumes in the first 30 minutes of a new job at an aluminum factory that he was in […]

May 13, 2013

Business

Caterpillar 336E H hydraulic hybrid excavator nets company its first Edison Award

Fresh on its proper introduction to the public at the massive Bauma construction equipment show in Munich, Caterpillar’s 336E H hydraulic hybrid excavator has won a 2013 Silver Edison innovation award. Like an electrical hybrid system, the 336E H captures and reuses energy. But rather than reuse electricity, the excavator uses hydraulic accumulators built into […]

April 30, 2013

Construction Equipment

Wirtgen wins a Bauma 2013 innovation award with “virtual stringlines” and the AutoPilot Field Rover

The Bauma construction equipment trade show, currently wrapping up in Munich, Germany has named its five innovations award winners for 2013. The show received 156 entries from  Germany and abroad” and narrowed the field to 15 before choosing six winners. Wirtgen was named as one of those award winners for its “AutoPilot Field Rover” entry for  succeeding […]

April 19, 2013

Roadbuilding

The Man Who Slides Bridges

Any story is valuable if it can show us how to do our work better. And especially when that work is big, massively expensive, part of our daily lives and paid for by tax dollars. For example, an old bridge that serves as a temporary route while the new bridge is being built. Better Roads […]

April 8, 2013