idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Transport and construction machinery used on construction sites and in agriculture are often highly specialized and complex to handle. Systems that automate individual processes or the entire machine can provide support and relief. The Chair of Robotics Systems at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Southwest Germany, is researching this field and enables different types of commercial vehicles to perform tasks independently using sensors, control technology, and artificial intelligence. At Hannover Messe, from March 31 to April 4, interested parties can learn about the application-based projects at the Rheinland-Pfalz research stand (Hall 2, Stand C33).
A crane truck that independently picks up tree trunks. A semi-autonomous excavator that excavates a pit as if by magic. A drilling crawler operating on a steep slope that sets anchor points for slope stabilization without human intervention. A Unimog that paves its way through difficult terrain. A rescue robot that autonomously surveys the situation and locates victims in disaster areas. These are just five examples of developments that Professor Karsten Berns' research group at the Robotics Research Laboratory is working on. Mowing vehicles and agricultural machines are also part of the research objects.
"Automation or partial automation has the potential to relieve humans in tasks that require continuous high concentration and specialized know-how," explains the computer scientist. "Additionally, autonomous machines could be an answer to the growing shortage of skilled workers."
Additional capabilities onboard
What do these autonomous vehicles have that others don’t? Thanks to methods for environmental sensing, adaptive control architectures, and human-machine interaction approaches, they can autonomously perform a wide variety of tasks. They are equipped with camera and sensor systems as well as significant computational power. "Stereo cameras and laser technology enable transport and work machines to recognize and capture their environment," says Sascha Steffens. "Artificial intelligence, specifically deep learning methods, are used to classify the flood of measurement data and help with sorting."
Practical transfer possible?
Research shows that there is potential in autonomous and semi-autonomous transport and work machines; technically, automation is already feasible. What is needed for these intelligent commercial vehicles to roll off the production line in series? "There are three key requirements: advancing the know-how transfer into the commercial vehicle industry, clarifying the basic legal, particularly insurance-related, questions surrounding autonomous driving, and making the necessary components more affordable," summarizes Karsten Berns.
For those interested in learning more about the projects of the Chair of Robotics Systems at Hannover Messe: Video presentations make various trials with the autonomous off-road vehicles tangible. Additionally, the rescue robot named "SUGV1" is displayed at the stand.
Questions can be directed to:
Sascha Steffens
Robotics Research Laboratory, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau
T: +49 631 205-3273
E: sascha.steffens@cs.rptu.de
W: rrlab.cs.rptu.de
--
Klaus Dosch, Department of Technology and Innovation, is organizing the presentation of the researchers of the RPTU Kaiserslautern at the fair. He is the contact partner for companies and, among other things, establishes contacts to science. Contact: Klaus Dosch, E-mail: Dosch(at)]rptu.de, Phone: +49 631 205-3001
Professor Karsten Berns (left) and Sascha Steffens (right) enable different types of construction an ...
Thomas Koziel
RPTU, Thomas Koziel
Criteria of this press release:
Business and commerce, Journalists
Information technology, Mechanical engineering
transregional, national
Research projects
English
Professor Karsten Berns (left) and Sascha Steffens (right) enable different types of construction an ...
Thomas Koziel
RPTU, Thomas Koziel
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
