“A common behavior among operators is to stop the machine while operating the crane. With Assisted Steering, we see an opportunity to support the operator by allowing the machine to steer while the operator controls the speed and focuses on crane work. Significant productivity gains can be achieved when loading and driving are performed simultaneously, and we also believe this can lead to a better operator environment and a more relaxing workday,” says Peter Assarsson, GM Strategic Research at Komatsu Forest.
An important benefit of the machine’s ability to read and analyze its surroundings is improved safety. The machine can detect if people are within its safety zone, providing peace of mind for the operator who can fully focus on the machine’s tasks. Also being introduced is an advanced future planning tool for harvester and forwarder operations, based on detailed, site-specific conditions. This tool enables work planning that avoids soft ground, minimizes emissions, maximizes productivity, and optimizes driving routes. The planning system is based on extensive geodata analysis, including terrain, wetlands, ditches, and tree volumes.
What will be showcased at Komatsu Days is a subset of the development work within a three-year Chips JU initiative called Agrarsense, in which Komatsu Forest is one of the participating companies.
“The purpose of presenting the concept prototype at Komatsu Days is to highlight the tremendous development potential within the forestry machinery industry. Extensive testing of the functionality remains before it can be introduced as an option on our machines,” concludes Peter Assarsson.
Quick Facts on Other Forestry Research and Development Collaborations Involving Komatsu Forest:
Komatsu Forest is involved in several key projects aimed at delivering future solutions for forestry. These include the aforementioned Agrarsense project and the XSCAVE collaboration.AGRARSENSE is a project that takes agricultural and forestry productivity to the next level. The stakeholder group will develop cutting-edge European technology for both electronic components and systems to meet future needs, build European resilience in critical sectors, and strongly contribute to sustainability goals and climate change mitigation.
Together with ten European universities and companies—including Umeå University—Komatsu Forest is participating in an EU project where foundational engineering research meets the latest industrial AI research. The project, called XSCAVE, aims to combine fundamental computational physics with artificial intelligence (AI) to create safe and efficient AI-driven machines that minimize the risk of harm to people or the environment. Komatsu Forest is also developing the concept machine Centipede in collaboration with eight Swedish forestry companies. This new machine concept is designed to move efficiently and gently through terrain, ensuring year-round timber flow.
Read more about our collaborations here: Partnerships and Collaborations
