HD Hyundai confident of selling unmanned earthmovers to Saudi Arabia

By Park Jae-hyuk

BORYEONG, South Chungcheong Province ― Torrential rainfall on Wednesday could not hinder HD Hyundai XiteSolution’s unmanned excavator and dozer from digging and moving dirt piled up on the proving ground owned by the construction equipment maker’s subsidiary, HD Hyundai Infracore.

The cabinless heavy machinery, developed under the Concept-X2 project, boasted various functions through remote control.

The dozer stopped automatically when a person approached. The excavator equipped with a tilt-rotator dug v-shaped ditches without using a v-shaped bucket.

HD Hyundai XiteSolution CEO Lee Dong-wook told reporters during the demonstration event that Saudi Arabia showed a keen interest in the company’s unmanned construction equipment technologies, to use them for the Middle Eastern country’s $500 billion project to build the NEOM smart city.

“NEOM wants to introduce our technologies,” he said. “We are in talks with Saudi Arabia on giving a demonstration of our technologies, because unmanned construction equipment has not been commercialized in any part of the world.”

HD Hyundai Infracore's unmanned excavator digs dirt at the company's proving ground in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, in this file photo. Courtesy of HD Hyundai XiteSolution

The Korean company is thought to be outperforming other global construction equipment makers, such as Caterpillar and Komatsu, in terms of remote control and automation technologies, because it began developing the technologies earlier than its rivals.

In 2019, HD Hyundai XiteSolution unveiled the Concept-X, an integrated construction site controlling solution using drones, after it succeeded in controlling an excavator in Incheon remotely from the Bauma trade fair’s venue in Munich, Germany.

The Concept-X2, the upgraded version of the Concept-X, was disclosed earlier this year at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show in Las Vegas, prompting visitors to anticipate drastic changes in productivity and working standards at construction sites.

“The most impressive response from the audience was a comment that read ‘a terminator has come,’” said Kim Dong-mok, an HD Hyundai XiteSolution employee in charge of developing smart construction equipment.

By collecting data from highly skilled workers with decades of experience, an artificial intelligence applied to the Concept-X2 can instruct less-skilled workers in optimal ways of digging. As a result, the Concept-X2 has reduced working hours and fuel consumption considerably, according to HD Hyundai XiteSolution.

In addition, the technology is expected to help construction site managers cope with the worsening labor shortage amid Korea’s declining population and the younger generation’s avoidance of difficult and dangerous jobs.

Given that machinery operators can stay a safe distance away from hazardous sites, the Concept-X2 can also be a useful solution for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, which will need time to remove landmines buried in the ground. HD Hyundai XiteSolution has pushed ahead with preperation for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

“Our technologies will be helpful in decommissioning nuclear reactors,” Lee said. “If Korea sends lunar roving vehicles, our technologies will also be useful.”

He added that the technologies can be used for exploiting resources in mountainous terrain.

HD Hyundai Infracore's unmanned dozer levels earth at the company's proving ground in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, in this file photo. Courtesy of HD Hyundai XiteSolution

At this moment, HD Hyundai XiteSolution remains uncertain about when its unmanned construction equipment can go into wide use, but some of the Concept-X2’s element technologies have already been used at construction sites.

The company also anticipates its smart machines will be less expensive than expected due to the falling prices of sensors and other components, amid the rapid growth of self-driving technologies in the automotive industry.

However, insufficient guidelines and regulations are still viewed as obstacles to the use of unmanned heavy machinery, because it is still unclear whether licenses are needed for remote operation and how responsibility would be determined for accidents involving unmanned equipment.