Remote-Controlled Equipment

While you may think of remote-controlled equipment as being toys, there are actual pieces of working heavy equipment that is available for purchase. These pieces of machinery were designed with employee safety in mind and can perform jobs in areas where there is a greater risk of a rollover or an accident.

RC Crawler Remote-Controlled

As an example, the Komatsu D155AXi-8 RC crawler is a remote-controlled machine that features Intelligent Machine Control (IMC) technology. This machine is designed for applications in which the operator shouldn’t be in the cab because of safety concerns.

The machine description indicates that the “line of sight remote” allows for operation for up to 100 meters. Companies are offering remote-controlled excavating equipment. This helps with employee safety because the equipment can be used in areas where it isn’t safe to send an employee to operate the machine.

The crawler features the ability to sense and control the blade load, optimize the cut, and minimize the slipping track. It has an automated gearshift transmission and lock-up torque converter that selects the optimal gear range, which is dependent on the load and the conditions of the job site.

The electronically controlled transmission is capable of locking up the torque converter to transfer engine power directly to the transmission and eliminating the loss of horsepower and reducing fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent.

The D61EXi/PXi-24 Intelligent Machine Control Dozer

This second-generation Intelligent Machine Control dozer features a 6.8-liter engine with 168 horsepower. The system allows automated operation from fine grading to heavy dozing, which achieves as much as 8 percent greater efficiency in the moving of materials.

It lacks sensors mounted on the blades, so an operator will not have to climb onto the blade to remove or install antennas. There aren’t electrical connections or coiled cables.