Development of Omnidirectional Object Detecting Technology for a Safer Excavator

The demand for the development of automated construction equipments is gradually increasing to deal with the current problems of construction technology, such as a lack of experienced workers, the aging of engineers, safety issues, etc. In particular, earth work such as excavation is very machine-dependent, and there has been a great deal of research on the development of an intelligent excavator, which involves great safety concerns. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop the technology to enhance the safety of intelligent excavation systems by developing an omnidirectional object detection technology for the intelligent excavator and applying it to a user-friendly system. The existing literature was reviewed, and the function of various sensor technologies was investigated and analyzed. Then, the best laser sensor was selected for an experiment to determine its effectiveness. An omnidirectional object detection algorithm was developed for a user interface program, and this can be used as the fundamental technology for the development of a safety management system for an intelligent excavator.