Tadano has brought more artificial intelligence to its crane lineup with new redesigns and updates to its in-cab “heyTadano” app, including voice activation.
Crane operators on the job can ask the app questions and get answers for things like operating instructions, technical issues, crane specifications and troubleshooting. The app was trained on all Tadano’s crane operation manuals in addition to other Tadano documents, the company says.
The iOS version allows operators to access the AI assistant hands-free by saying “Hey Tadano,” while the Android version requires that operators use a tap-to-speech function to use voice inputs.
Like other popular AI apps such as ChatGPT, heyTadano keeps a log of your chats and organizes them with the AI assistant. That makes the information inside those conversations easily accessible in the future, the company says. Operators can begin new conversations based on which crane they are operating or are inquiring about, and the app will provide Tadano manual sources for the facts it supplies.
For the new updates, which bring the program to version 1.3, Tadano landed the 2026 German Design Award in the category of “AI in Communications Design.” Driving factors behind winning the award included clear categorization of products, consistent app interface design and optimized user guidance.
The app is available for free in over 50 languages.
Other manufacturers are also throwing their hats in the ring of AI-powered voice assistance. Caterpillar debuted its Cat AI Assistant at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, which the company says leverages data and digitizes work processes to make jobsites safer and more productive.
