China has presented a 98-mile road built entirely by robots.
The employees present were only tasked with certifying the operation of the machinery.
According to reports, this method has resulted in significant time savings, while the quality of the work is claimed to be superior to what human labor could have achieved.
Building a road is no simple task, despite how straightforward the idea may seem. While anyone can envision the concept, the reality involves a complex team effort.
Engineers must determine the best route for the road, decide how to navigate hills, and whether a tunnel is necessary. Some workers analyze costs to ensure the project remains within budget. Others are responsible for selecting and mixing materials to ensure the asphalt performs optimally and will endure vehicle traffic and varying weather conditions.
Meanwhile, on-site staff operate the machinery that lays, compacts, and levels the asphalt, ensuring a smooth and uniform surface.
However, the future of road construction may lie in automation. In places like China, nearly 100 miles of road have been built with minimal human involvement, relying instead on automated robots supervised by a small team of workers to monitor operations.
An “Automated” Road
China has successfully created its first road built entirely without human intervention, stretching 98 miles from Beijing toward Macau. The project is an extension of the Beijing-Hong Kong Expressway, which spans a total of 1,412 miles. The completed section connects Beijing to Hebei.
Three state-owned companies collaborated on this initiative. China Railway 11th Bureau led the project, Hubei Communications Investment was responsible for paving, and Liaoning Guotai Road and Bridge was focused on tamping. In addition, Sany Group supplied the necessary machinery for the project.
Local media reports indicate that the completed project was publicly presented at a road construction and infrastructure conference. The event attracted 700 participants who had the opportunity to observe the newly constructed road up close and witness the operation of automated machinery firsthand.
The project is particularly remarkable because it features a 62-foot-wide road constructed using ten unmanned machines. These vehicles distributed a mixture of compacted stones and sand. Then, they applied a bitumen binder to shape the surface and ensure that the layers remained intact.
During the construction, paving machines distributed the materials while autonomous rollers applied the necessary pressure to level the surface and achieve the desired hardness. Additionally, drones monitored the project’s development and conducted topographical assessments. According to GPC Systems, a software development company specializing in this field, the use of drones ensured adherence to the expected parameters.
Some employees oversaw the machinery, which was in a “1+3+3+3+3” lineup, during the construction work. However, reports highlight the savings achieved through the development of specific algorithms for the project, allowing for millimetric precision and higher speeds compared to traditional human-operated methods. Unfortunately, local media doesn’t specify on the number of employees that were excluded from the project and the exact time and cost savings realized.
Nonetheless, China’s new approach to road construction represents a significant engineering milestone. The enhanced precision enabled the entire track to be completed in a single pass, eliminating the need for smaller rollers to correct deviations. With the aid of computer technology, the machinery performed with great accuracy, and rework on already constructed areas was unnecessary. This achievement is referred to as “0 edge rolling,” indicating no substantial gap between the machine and the curb where the track gauge concludes.
Whether China will continue the project or apply this approach to other roads remains to be seen. In any case, the time and effectiveness achieved seem to be challenging to replicate with human workers in the field.
Image | Miguel Teirlinck
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