As demonstrated at Conexpo-Con/Agg this year, A.I. safety systems can prevent accidents on construction sites when excavators and loaders use 360-degree cameras, radar and A.I. to detect workers entering the immediate danger zone, then automatically stopping the machine.

Camera systems, such as a smart around view monitor (SAVM) and a human detection system (HDS), use a network of six high-resolution cameras placed at the front, rear and sides of the equipment and radar sensors to provide a 360-degree view of the machine’s surroundings capable of differentiating between obstacles and people.

“The most advanced systems use upgraded sensors and artificial intelligence to detect people on a job site,” said Brian Kim, heavy excavator product manager at Develon, Suwanee, Ga. “Unlike traditional sensors that might trigger an alarm for a stationary object like a trench box or a concrete barrier, the HDS is designed to specifically identify human shapes and movement.”

In addition to eliminating blind spots, systems such as Develon’s can help operators “see through” the bucket on a wheel loader with a virtual transparent bucket. Forward-facing cameras mounted on the front axle and high on the cab deliver a view of what’s directly in front of a raised bucket on the in-cab monitor.

Virtual walls add an extra layer of protection that can be critical in noisy or crowded environments. Operators can set digital boundaries for the machine’s boom, arm and bucket. The E-Stop function can automatically stop swing and travel movement outside of those boundaries.

“By establishing these digital zones, operators can prevent the excavator from striking overhead power lines or encroaching on traffic lanes,” said Kim. “These digital guardrails allow the operator to focus on the dig with higher accuracy and less strain, as the machine prevents the boom from swinging into restricted areas.”

With construction projects becoming increasingly complex and generating skads of data, and with growing pressure to build faster, safer and with fewer resources, visual intelligence powered by spatial A.I. can improve efficiency. These systems understand location, sequence and relationships between building elements and can recognize materials, associate images with 3D building information models and floor plans, and track progress.

Further, they can create a visual history of the project, pinning each image to the correct location, comparing progress, and indicating where work is advancing, stalling, or deviating from the plan. On large, complex projects, teams are identifying productivity issues as early as 10% completion instead of 50%.

Machine intelligence already increases uptime, improves operator comfort and accuracy, and provides reminders for preventive maintenance that can reduce downtime and prolong machine life. Jay Patel, product manager at Develon, predicts the next frontier in site safety and efficiency will be smart attachments equipped with built-in sensors that can communicate directly with the machine to track usage and wear in real time and provide maintenance alerts.