Field Implementation of an Automated Hydraulic Excavator Using ROS2-TMS for Construction and OPERA

We are developing a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) for earthwork sites, called ROS2-TMS for Construction, utilizing OPERA, an autonomous construction platform under development by the Public Works Research Institute. In this paper, as a case study of the system’s field implementation, we automated the loading of cohesive soil into a hopper during soil improvement work using a hydraulic excavator. Experimental results demonstrated that the system was able to dynamically determine excavation positions and achieve continuous operation for more than one hour. Furthermore, we conducted an additional slope-collapsing experiment using a hydraulic excavator, which demonstrated the applicability of the proposed system to diverse earthwork tasks.