Fully Autonomous Excavators Deployed on Active Job Sites

With every form of infrastructure in the United States, there is construction. Building anything requires moving tons of dirt. In comes the excavator, a staple to almost any construction site. Bedrock Robotics is making the heavy machinery fully autonomous, with no worker in the driver’s seat.

Two years of testing were required before the autonomous excavators hit active commercial job sites. This testing ensured that the self-driving machines could operate safely and efficiently alongside human crews.

Excavators make up a quarter of construction fleets and are difficult to operate. This is exactly why the robotics company chose to automate it first. According to the company, automating the hardest machine makes it easier to automate other equipment.

Addressing the Labor Shortage

The construction industry is already struggling to find workers. Adding to this shortage, the robotics company states that about 40% of the industry is expected to retire in the next five years.

“The speed and scale of what’s coming into this region is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” said Trey Taparauskas, president of Champion Site Prep. “What Bedrock is building will multiply what our crews are capable of. It’s not just about one autonomous machine.”

Taparauskas continued, “It’s the potential to rethink how we coordinate our entire fleet, keep machines running longer, reduce idle time, and improve safety and work zone awareness. That frees up our best people to supervise and strategize so we can take on even more.”

Safe Autonomous Excavators

While dirt doesn’t seem like much at a job site, moving it is the first step before building anything. If this process is delayed by weather or poor soil conditions, the whole project falls behind.

“The real challenge is executing earthwork with precision: moving the right amount of material, at the right time and in the right way,” said Ranjeet Gadhoke, Senior Vice President, Operational Controls and Intelligence of Zachry Construction Corporation. “That level of consistency is essential to making operations safer, more efficient, and more predictable.”

Bedrock Robotics stated that it emphasized safety throughout the whole process. Construction accounts for one in five workplace deaths in the U.S., so taking people out of harm’s way was a priority.

“Safety is at the heart of all we do, and technology has the potential to further enhance the safe performance of work at our job sites,” explained Bill Heathcott, Executive Vice President at Austin Bridge & Road. “Our partnership with Bedrock Robotics has opened the door to autonomous equipment, a next-level advance in worker protection as well as increased efficiency and precision.”