An autonomous future? When science and roadworks collide

Strabag trialled the autonomous asphalt paver on a section of the A9 near Graz in Austria (Image: Strabag)

Talk to anyone who has spent a career in the roadworks industry and there’s more often than not a buzz of excitement behind their words when discussing the future.

There’s a good reason for this as. Over the last 100 years – even though machines, materials and methods have improved – road construction has largely looked the same and produced similar results. But that is beginning to change.

Modern road projects are entering a new era, and clients are expecting increasing accuracy, efficiency and autonomy. The industry is expected to evolve along with these and sustainability/emissions-reduction goals, but to answer the call, road builders are spending more time than ever in the laboratory researching how today’s modern materials can be applied with hyper-efficacy using novel machinery.

Making machine learning a reality

Unlike other construction segments, road works have a unique opportunity to develop highly advanced machine learning sooner than later. Autonomous and semi-autonomous solutions are more applicable to the fixed and horizontal nature of the world’s streets, avenues and motorways.

Paul Jaworski, product manager, Minnich Manufacturing (Photo: Minnich Manufacturing)

Paul Jaworski, product manager at US-based Minnich Manufacturing, a drilling and vibration specialist equipment manufacturer, notes his firm will be spending more time over the next five years in research and development (R&D). He tells International Construction the gains from machine learning and autonomy will be huge for road building.

“The main pieces of what is being developed for the next five years are ongoing research projects that we’re involved with for machine learning, more heavy machinery – basically looking at all the functions of it from both sides of the equation, from the mix design side and the actual operator side of the machine,” he says.

Jaworski says Minnich is also supporting universities that are studying every aspect of road construction and how it can become more economical. “The end game is to identify all the science behind [road works] from batching to what’s designed in the laboratory and taking a lot of the variability out of the process,” he comments.

“We’ve been looking more into the sustainability and durability issues of it. So, as it goes out into the future, all the processes from both the design side of the mixtures to the execution on the paving machines and make it as autonomous as possible.”

One major challenge: making sure today’s road building processes and machines are equipped with the right tools and tech for novel concrete and asphalt products.

Minnich Manufacturing’s AV-CC II telematics system, which can monitor up to 48 hydraulic vibrators during the paving process

Jaworski relied on his perspective as board chairman of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), a US-based technical society and standards-development organisation, to illustrate the challenges.

Such is the pace of change that the ACI’s most recent design code and construction specifications had to be “gutted” to make way for new specs required to keep up with modern mixtures and emissions reductions goals, he says.

“Those specifications reflect more of a carbon-neutral practice, now, and you’re going to see more and more carbon neutral construction practices,” says Jaworski, adding the cement-heavy road works industry should expect ample change in this sector going forward.

In other terms, even though ‘putting down’ concrete will still look the same in five years, it will be a completely retooled process starting with its production. “Basically everything” will change, says Jaworski.

All this R&D will create a reliable source of data and information, which is the basis of machine learning and autonomy breakthroughs.

When these strategies are coupled with advances in concrete and asphalt sensors (like products from Hilti, Doka or Humboldt Manufacturing), the hope is a future where batching, delivery, and road building are nearly automatic (and able to deliver quality in any given region at any temperature), with labourers on site to manage machines, not necessarily lay material.

“We’ve got to first run trials through those similar situations. We’ve got to get the data from a 60-degree day, then we need to do it on a 70-degree day,” Jaworski notes.

“It takes a long time, at least initially, to make those data lakes. I’m finding that data is just now starting to fill up these reservoirs.”

Lack of workers drives innovation

In Japan, Sumitomo Construction Machinery – which manufacturers pavers, rollers and other road construction machines – notes that a suppressed labour market has been driving their innovation in autonomy.

“[The] working population continues to decline year by year due to the low birthrate and aging population in Japan. Particularly in the construction industry, the aging and retirement of highly skilled workers – also low retention/high turnover rate of young workers – has led to a serious shortage of labour and a decline in skills,” Sumitomo tells International Construction. “This trend is expected to continue in the future.

“On the other hand, Japanese paving sites are so concerned about quality that a large number of workers is required besides machine operators who prepare edges of pavement, fix uneven areas, etc.,” the company continues. “For those reasons, it will be difficult to secure these workers in the future, and it is important to increase productivity at the paving site to maintain the existing quality.”

The firm touted developments in automatic screed extension and retraction, as well as automatic steering. Automatically controlled steering eliminates the need for total stations and 3D measuring instruments, which the company says reduces installation costs and eliminates the need for 3D design – further reducing need for human resources and man-hours.

Some autonomous machines are already getting tested in the field. Near the Austria/Slovenia border, Austria-based construction group Strabag recently trialled an autonomous asphalt paver on the A9 motorway.

The paver laid the asphalt on the 180m-long trial section completely autonomously, with implementation and logistics coordinated by a Strabag team from Graz, Austria.

The system uses a special module for autonomous control of the machinery. It is connected directly to the digital interface of the asphalt paver and feeds the machine target data for the paving section. The machine also features object recognition sensors and satellite navigation (GNSS) to keep it on the right course.

The unit includes a newly developed paver attachment that integrates a sensor-equipped fibre optic cable directly into the surface course during paving. Along with temperature and movement sensors, the tech feeds the machine information about the load on the asphalt during use.

Sebastian Czaja, head of TPA Group PSS (Process Stability in Road Construction), says, “In the future, paving staff will increasingly be performing the task of controller. They will be able to work at a greater distance from moving traffic, keeping them less exposed to vapours and aerosols during the paving process.”

It’s somewhat complex stuff for a relatively traditional industry, but the energy is palpable. Driven by both inside and outside expectations, the next stretch of time may just be some of the most productive in road construction, yet.