Abstract—This paper presents experimental results with tele-remote operation of a wheel-loader and proposes a method to semi-automate the process. The different components of the tele-remote setup are described in the paper. We focus on the short loading cycle, which is commonly used at quarry and construction sites for moving gravel from piles onto trucks. We present results from short-loading-cycle experiments with three operators, comparing productivity between tele-remote operation and manual operation. A productivity loss of 42% with tele-remote operation motivates the case for more automation. We propose a method to automate the bucket-filling process, which is one of the key operations performed by a wheel-loader. 
 

Index Terms—automation, bucket-filling, construction, quarry, tele-operation, wheel-loader

Cite: Siddharth Dadhich, Ulf Bodin, Fredrik Sandin, and Ulf Andersson, "From Tele-Remote Operation to Semi-Automated Wheel-Loader," International Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering & Telecommunications, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 178-182, October 2018. Doi: 10.18178/ijeetc.7.4.178-182