Rise of autonomy to be seen at Bauma

By Mike Hayes04 May 2022

The organisers of the Bauma Munich exhibition say the development of autonomous and semi-autonomous construction machines is likely to be one of the major talking points at the event, which will run from October 24-30 this year.

Bauma Munich, the world’s largest construction trade fair, will open its doors in Octoboer 2022

Visitors to the event will be able to hear the results of a three-year-long study of this and other digital technology, from a group called Machines in Construction 4.0 (MiC 4.0), which was established during the last Bauma exhibition by leading German industry associations, HDB and VDMA.

With 105 members from seven nations and 31 working groups, MiC 4.0 has examined aspects of digital construction technology including automation and semi-automation, machine connectivity, collaborative robotics and best practices for data usage.

Tim-Oliver Müller, director of the German construction industry association, HDB, said that, while he doesn’t believe full autonomy in construction machines is likely to arrive in the near future, he is convinced that the construction industry could nevertheless benefit greatly from the use of digital technology.

He said, “Such solutions have the potential for noticeable increases in efficiency and productivity.”

The MiC group has been examining the standardisation of data and says simple information such as whether a machine is on or off is now being digitalised and standardised and is being utilised across manufacturers committed to the MiC 4.0 effort.

The organisation’s managing director, Dr Darius Soßdorf, said, “In any construction machine with an internal combustion engine that sends the signal ‘on’, the crankshaft of the engine rotates.”

Soßdorf claims that the joint approach implemented here is entirely new and unique.

This, along with other aspects of research undertaken by MiC 4.0 in the last three years will be presented at the innovation hall LAB0 at Bauma, where, along with presentations, there will be a physical demonstration.