A multidisciplinary team of ETH Zurich researchers developed a method of using an autonomous excavator to construct a dry-âstone wall that is six metres high and sixty-âfive metres long. (View Highlight)
Using sensors, the excavator can autonomously draw a 3D map of the construction site and localise existing building blocks and stones for the wallâs construction. Specifically designed tools and machine vision approaches enable the excavator to scan and grab large stones in its immediate environment. It can also register their approximate weight as well as their centre of gravity. An algorithm determines the best position for each stone, and the excavator then conducts the task itself by placing the stones in the desired location. The autonomous machine can place 20 to 30 stones in a single consignment â about as many as one delivery could supply. (View Highlight)
The Excavator picks and scans each boulder to be placed in the correct position. Circularity Park in Oberglatt, Eberhard AG. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Marc Schneider) (View Highlight)
The Excavator picks and scans each boulder to be placed in the correct position. Circularity Park in Oberglatt, Eberhard AG. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Marc Schneider) (View Highlight)