Samsung C&T's construction division held a field demonstration of a construction site material transportation robot developed in collaboration with Hyundai E&C on the 3rd, as reported on the 6th.
The event took place at Hyundai E&C's Incheon Cheongna Hanadream Town site. Key officials, including So Byeong-sik, head of Samsung C&T’s ENG Innovation Division (vice president), and Kim Jae-young, head of Hyundai E&C’s Technology Research Institute, attended.
The two companies signed a strategic business agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) in April 2023 for the 'establishment of an ecosystem for construction robotics and joint research and development.' This demonstration was the first occasion to reveal the results of their collaboration over the past two years.
The robot unveiled this time automated the repetitive and accident-prone task of transporting materials at construction sites. It was developed to improve work efficiency and prevent safety accidents by separating the paths of workers and materials.
It includes technologies such as ▲ pallet shape and picking hole recognition technology through 3D imaging ▲ autonomous driving technology through SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, a technology that recognizes the surrounding environment, generates a map, and determines its own location simultaneously) ▲ transportation task management and robot control technology ▲ automatic docking technology for chargers. Samsung C&T explained that it is significant that the robot was developed in an optimized form for actual construction environments by combining the accumulated know-how from construction sites and robotics technology of the two companies.
In particular, the automatic pallet recognition and picking technology significantly improved the accuracy and safety of transporting heavy materials repetitively. The autonomous driving algorithms and obstacle recognition technology enable efficient driving even in complex environments. Additionally, a remote control system that visualizes routes and obstacle locations in real-time allows for integrated control and efficient operation even in large sites where multiple robots are simultaneously operated.
Based on this surface transportation technology verification, Samsung C&T plans to expand the development scope to robotic technologies capable of vertical transportation and complex path response.
Samsung C&T is the chair company of the 'Smart Construction Alliance,' launched in July 2023 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This robot development was pursued as a technical task as part of these alliance activities, and the plan is to accelerate technology verification and field application based on cooperation among academia, industry, government, and research.
So Byeong-sik, head of Samsung C&T’s ENG Innovation Division (vice president), noted that 'the material transportation robot is the result of the first joint research and development between construction companies and the starting point for ecosystem creation.' He stated, 'In an environment where digital transformation across the industry is accelerated by artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, the emergence and utilization of robots is an unavoidable situation and the foundation for unmanned construction sites.'
Kim Jae-young, head of Hyundai E&C’s Technology Research Institute, stated, 'This demonstration confirmed the feasibility of horizontal transportation automation technology and provided an opportunity to explore the potential for expansion into various construction automation technologies.' He added, 'We will continue to enhance the effectiveness of construction automation technology while working on the linkage and advancement of technologies across the smart construction ecosystem to continuously develop site-centered robotics solutions.'