HEAP (Hydraulic Excavator for an Autonomous Purpose)

2023: Product Announcement

At the end of November 2023, researchers from the Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich announced the development of a robotic excavator capable of building walls of stone blocks without human help. The platform was called HEAP - Hydraulic Excavator for an Autonomous Purpose.

The machine is based on a walking 12-ton excavator Menzi Muck M545. Its wheeled undercarriage consists of levers that can vary length and position. A complex chassis and boom with a special design were used, so that the machine can adapt to the characteristics of the relief. Features of the model - a wide range of ascent/exit angles, the ability to overcome water obstacles of considerable depth, etc.

Stand-alone hydraulic excavator HEAP

The project participants supplemented the basic Menzi Muck model with a M545 system of auxiliary sensors: it includes GNSS global positioning tools, inertial measuring unit (IMU), cameras, lidars and a control module. Before the construction of the stone wall begins, the robot scans the construction site and forms its three-dimensional map. Next, the machine fixes the location of the available boulders, which will then be used in construction. HEAP then lifts each block (weighing up to a few tons) and rotates it in front of the sensors to create a 3D model as well as determine the center of gravity.

Having collected the necessary information, the excavator robot generates a construction plan, determining the optimal position and orientation of each boulder in the wall. Stone blocks are securely held on top of each other without any mortar. During the experiments, the robot was able to build a stable wall 6 meters high and 65 meters long. At the same time, the means of machine vision made it possible to completely replace the human operator.^[1]

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