A Robotic Excavator for Autonomous Truck Loading

Authors:
Anthony Stentz;John Bares;Sanjiv Singh;Patrick Rowe
Affiliations:
The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Venue:
Autonomous Robots
Year:
1999

Citing 2
Cited 2

Object recognition by computer: the role of geometric constraints

Object recognition by computer: the role of geometric constraints
Synthesis of tactical plans for robotic excavation

Synthesis of tactical plans for robotic excavation

Numerical comparison of steering geometries for robotic vehicles by modeling positioning error

Autonomous Robots
Laser Scanner-based End-effector Tracking and Joint Variable Extraction for Heavy Machinery

International Journal of Robotics Research

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Abstract

Excavators are used for the rapid removal of soil and othermaterials in mines, quarries, and construction sites. The automationof these machines offers promise for increasing productivity andimproving safety. To date, most research in this area has focussed onselected parts of the problem. In this paper, we present a systemthat completely automates the truck loading task. The excavator usestwo scanning laser rangefinders to recognize and localize the truck,measure the soil face, and detect obstacles. The excavator‘s softwaredecides where to dig in the soil, where to dump in the truck, and howto quickly move between these points while detecting and stopping forobstacles. The system was fully implemented and was demonstrated toload trucks as fast as human operators.