Singapore tests self-driving excavators to cut construction manpower needs

Singapore has initiated a pilot project to experiment with autonomous heavy construction equipment, aiming to mitigate manpower shortages and enhance site safety. This initiative is a joint effort between JTC Corporation, a Singapore government agency under the Trade and Industry Ministry, and Kajima Corporation, a prominent Japanese construction firm.

JTC Assistant Chief Executive Officer Calvin Chung revealed that expanding the workforce was not a viable solution for meeting Singapore’s future construction requirements, given the corporation’s pipeline of at least 800 hectares of earthworks projects within the next five years. The pilot project seeks to achieve a 50% reduction in operator manpower, with one operator supervising two machines.

The trial will be conducted at the Bulim Autonomous Yard (BAY) in the Jurong Innovation District, where autonomous machines like excavators and compactors will be evaluated under real-world conditions. Post the BAY trials, JTC will collaborate with the Manpower Ministry to establish operating guidelines and safety measures for industry-wide deployment, focusing on human safety.

These measures include geofencing to confine machines within designated areas, LiDAR sensors to detect humans and obstacles, and emergency stop controls at both the site and control room. The operator will assign tasks and establish virtual geographic boundaries, or geofences, for each autonomous construction machine. The machine will then execute the tasks independently using sensors and artificial intelligence, without the need for an operator inside or outside the cabin.