Commercialization Target... Construction Automation Market Expected to Grow by $7.9 Billion Within 5 Years
Hyundai Doosan Infracore and Samsung C&T signed an MOU related to 'construction automation and unmanned technology' on the 18th at Samsung C&T headquarters in Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul. Lee Dong-wook, Chief Technology Officer of Hyundai Doosan Infracore (left), and Lee Byung-soo, Head of Business Development at Samsung C&T (Photo by Hyundai Doosan Infracore)
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hye-young] Hyundai Doosan Infracore, a subsidiary of Hyundai Genuine, the construction equipment division of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, announced on the 20th that it will begin developing technology to target the global unmanned equipment market for construction sites together with Samsung C&T.
On the 18th, Hyundai Doosan Infracore and Samsung C&T signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for mutual cooperation in construction automation and unmanned technology, attended by key officials from both companies. This is the first time the two companies have jointly developed technology for operating unmanned equipment at construction sites.
Through this MOU, the two companies aim to develop and commercialize unmanned systems for equipment used in earthwork operations (transporting and piling soil on the ground), such as bulldozers and compaction rollers.
The development of the unmanned equipment system will be carried out in a retrofit format. Retrofit involves upgrading the functions of existing machinery or integrating network technology to digitalize the equipment. This is more efficient in terms of time and cost compared to developing new equipment.
Hyundai Doosan Infracore plans to utilize its unmanned technology "Concept-X," which successfully demonstrated in 2019, to develop the unmanned system. In particular, by integrating the "Site Cloud" technology?which uses drones for 3D site information analysis and equipment control?into currently operating bulldozers and compaction rollers, they will pursue unmanned earthwork equipment.
Samsung C&T will build an integrated control system capable of managing multiple unmanned equipment based on its accumulated experience and big data from civil engineering projects such as hydropower, airports, ports, and solar power, including construction and process planning with control functions.
The construction equipment unmanned and automation solution 'Concept-X,' first introduced worldwide in 2019 by Hyundai Doosan Infracore, and the smart construction platform technology 'XiteCloud' applied (Photo by Hyundai Doosan Infracore)
The unmanned earthwork technology promoted by the two companies is expected to be commercialized soon. Upon successful development of the unmanned technology, it will be demonstrated at large construction sites managed by Samsung C&T. It is expected to be mainly used in large-scale dams, airports, residential land development, roads, and railway projects where earthwork is a major process.
According to the global market research firm Allied Market Research, the automation robot market in the construction sector is projected to grow rapidly at an average annual rate of 23.3% from 2020 to 2027, reaching $7.8803 billion (approximately 9.44 trillion KRW) by 2027.
Lee Dong-wook, Chief Technology Officer of Hyundai Doosan Infracore, said, "If the big data related to construction that Samsung C&T possesses and our unmanned technology are combined, we expect to present a safer and more innovative construction site," adding, "We will do our best to lead the unmanned and automated construction market through this technology development."
Lee Byung-soo, Head of Business Development at Samsung C&T, stated, "Unmanned technology to improve safety and productivity at construction sites is an essential task for a leap forward," and added, "Through this technological cooperation with Hyundai Doosan Infracore, we expect to become a leading company in the smart construction market."
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