Attendees at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 in Las Vegas were among the first in North America to see ROBOMAG, BOMAG’s first fully autonomous tandem vibratory roller.
The concept roller was developed as a technological study by BOMAG in cooperation with the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in Kaiserslautern, Germany. ROBOMAG combines guidance technologies such as GPS, Lidar and state-of-the-art positioning sensors with BOMAG ASPHALT MANAGER, which the company says is one of the most advanced intelligent compaction technologies available. With ROBOMAG, BOMAG is turning its vision of fully autonomous construction equipment into reality.
According to the company, ROBOMAG can be used in fully autonomous mode in a defined work area. The system obtains information on position, situation, and movement using a combination of different technologies for spatial orientation, work area awareness, and jobsite safety. ROBOMAG features sensory environment recognition to detect objects within its path to avoid collisions.
In addition to fully automatic mode, ROBOMAG provides the option to follow manually entered movement patterns, so the roller can perform its task autonomously, even with special compaction projects. For loading or manual operation, ROBOMAG can be operated by remote control. The roller incorporates emergency stop mechanisms for fully autonomous and manual operation.
Beyond fully autonomous movements, ROBOMAG features ASPHALT MANAGER for automated intelligent compaction control, monitoring, and documentation.
As a technology study, ROBOMAG serves as BOMAG’s vision for autonomous compaction in the not-so-distant future.