Autonomous construction equipment is already being deployed to job sites. Unlike a parking lot or busy highway, construction sites are highly controlled and fixed geographic locations that have clearly delineated boundaries. Within these boundaries, trained personnel operate in an organized and safety-conscious manner. This creates an opportunity for deployment of autonomous vehicles with varying degrees of autonomy.¹ Tightly structured and well-ordered construction sites allow partially autonomous vehicles and equipment to be deployed in order to increase efficiency and improve safety.

Start-ups like Built Robotics and SafeAI, and larger industry players like Caterpillar and Komatsu, have developed autonomous equipment to work on construction sites. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing mandates have served to accelerate the pace of development of autonomous equipment. Caterpillar boasts the largest fleet of autonomous haul trucks. In six years, these vehicles hauled two billion metric tons.

Built Robotics’ automated bulldozers and excavators have logged 10,000 hours of autonomous operations without a recorded safety incident and currently work on oil and gas, water distribution, and infrastructure projects across the United States. The rapid development of autonomous machinery, coupled with their successful use on construction sites today, means widespread use of autonomous equipment on construction sites is inevitable.

In this article, we highlight areas for stakeholders to consider in the development and adoption of autonomous vehicles in construction sites.

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