Process explores a set of tasks that are executed by a machine or machines to transfer/transform the object of the work. If one machine (or part of a machine) is not working at its optimal level or if the actions are not well coordinated, the whole process is inefficient.[1]
We will focus on earth moving because of its importance and the composition of the industry organisations involved in this work package (WP). In this context, the process data means the knowledge of the initial state and the end state of the materials (position, form and amount), and how the material is handled during the process. No robot is an island. This is particularly true in construction sites, meaning that the addition of an automatic function or machine as such will not increase productivity. Our objective is to identify profitable business cases for robotisation and to optimise operations in earthmoving processes using autonomous or semi-autonomous HDM machinery.
[1] E. M. Nebot, ‘Surface mining: Main research issues for autonomous operations’, a book chapter, Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics, 2007.