Peter Haddock talks through and tests the Cat Command Station at the Caterpillar Malaga Demonstration and Learning Centre. The station can remotely operate construction equipment from Caterpillar anywhere in the World.
Peter also shows how the technology works from the Caterpillar air-conditioned 'Technology Experience' room featured in this video as he operates a D7 dozer.
The technology is available now for selected Cat Dozers, Excavators and Wheel Loaders, and already customers are taking full advantage of the benefits it delivers.
We love the fact that the operators can simply walk into the station and sit down, eliminating the need to travel to site and climb into the machine. It's also great to see the enhanced visibility the camera system delivers for the remote station operator.
And at the flick of a switch located on the machine, it can be turned from remote control to standard 'operator in the cab' working mode. In fact, there are just a few specialist components needed to make the remote functionality work.
These include cameras and an antenna to connect the machine to the station (two for an excavator due to swing movements).
There is also an LED lighting system to visibly show remote control is engaged and stickers on the machine to identify it as a remote control enabled unit.
Back at the remote control station, this machine mounted technology is supported by clever connected software that allows the operator to link directly to up to four machines, operating one at a time, of course.
The station itself mimics what you would see in the machine, with all of the controls, including pedals and joysticks, automatically calibrated to the machine type you want to operate. Operators can even select button preferences on the joysticks as they would in a machine, setting it up how they like it.
This is a major step forward for the sector as we move to safer working practices whilst keeping operators out of danger zones for specific applications. It also represents an opportunity for experienced operators that don't want to travel to a site and those that can no longer climb into machines to keep working.
Peter: "You really have to operate the station yourself to realise how easy it is to use and if I can control a dozer remotely, imagine what a trained operator can achieve onsite. For me, this also shows how we can bring more autonomy to site, removing the people plant interface whilst benefiting from shift style operation where the machine stays in position and the operators simply change over at the command station.
For those people going to Bauma 2022, the Cat command station will be available to try on the stand.
You can find out more at www.cat.com/en_GB/products/ne...
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