[Rebuild K-Construction] Korea Expressway Corporation
Actively Utilizing Cutting-Edge Technologies such as AI and Robotics
Introducing Safety Monitoring for Construction Sites and Workers
Korea Expressway Corporation has officially begun implementing digital site management using technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The company has achieved the level of commercializing smart construction technologies developed through national research and development (R&D) projects by verifying them in the field. The smart construction technology development project, which began in 2020 and is scheduled to continue until the end of this year, covers areas such as earthwork automation, digitalization of site information, and safety monitoring for construction sites and workers.
As part of these efforts, a demonstration of earthwork automation technology was successfully conducted last September. This technology enables multiple types of large construction equipment to collaborate in clusters without human intervention. The demonstration event was attended by more than 50 participants, including students from the Department of Civil Engineering at Kunsan National University and other industry-academia-research stakeholders. The demonstration showcased digital mapping, which automatically creates a 3D digital map of the site using multiple drones and ground robots; intelligent control, which develops optimal work plans for each piece of equipment based on the digital map and issues instructions to the machines; and autonomous operations, in which dozers, rollers, and excavators accurately perform compaction and excavation tasks in confined areas according to the work instructions.
These technologies can reduce the risk of major accidents, such as collisions or entrapment, by separating the workspaces of operators and heavy equipment at construction sites. Furthermore, if AI-based unmanned operations become possible, they are expected to help address the shortage of skilled workers caused by an aging workforce. Korea Expressway Corporation has already applied these technologies to Section 1 of the Second Seoul Metropolitan Area Ring Expressway construction between Gimpo and Paju in 2023, as well as to the installation of the Hi-Pass interchange at the Sintanjin Service Area on the Gyeongbu Expressway last year.
Other technologies include an AI CCTV system that analyzes real-time footage from the site to detect and warn of hazardous situations, and solutions that use robotic dogs and drones to inspect the safety of temporary structures in place of humans. The company has also developed a next-generation construction control platform that integrates and manages site elements such as processes in real time using digital twin technology. A representative from Korea Expressway Corporation stated, "We plan to further expand the application of smart construction technologies at expressway sites in the future," adding, "We will continue to improve systems and policies and support commercialization so that proven, innovative smart technologies can take root in the field."
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