On top of a dirt hill, a Develon operator-less excavator performed intricate grading maneuvers with a tiltrotator. Then below, the company’s autonomous dozer traveled around moving its blade to the contours of the ground.
The demonstration at this month’s ConExpo – shown in the above video – gave audiences the first look at Develon’s latest advancement in autonomous and remote-control technology. The first Concept X demonstration was shown to media in 2019 in South Korea, with a standard Doosan Infracore excavator and wheel loader working without operators. At the time, Doosan presented models of what the concept machines would look like and then followed up in 2022 at the Consumer Electronics Show as the newly formed Hyundai Doosan Infracore with an autonomous conceptual display.
Now as Develon, Concept-X2 appeared in real life at ConExpo 2023, showing off the new brand’s glimpse of what it calls “The Future of Construction Jobsites.”
No longer standard machinery wired for autonomy, the DX225-CX excavator and DD100-CX dozer did not have onboard operator stations. Instead, they were designed for full autonomy using technology such as drone imaging, LiDAR sensors and artificial intelligence. The machines were also able to be operated by remote-control units worn around the neck that can function up to 1,600 feet away.
Develon views the autonomous equipment as a way to perform tasks in areas that would be dangerous for operators or hard to access. Jobsite management and the machines are set by a control center that is centered on a drone, which automates the construction site survey with 3D scanning to develop an efficient work plan, the company says.
Concept-X2 also governs fleet management remotely and performs real-time self-diagnosis and monitoring of unmanned equipment for maintenance and risk prevention.
