NEWS

Hazama Ando Joins JIG-SAW and Sakai Heavy Industries’ Standard Autonomous Machine Development Project for i-Construction (ASCS Project)

HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION (Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as Hazama Ando) has announced it will join JIG-SAW INC. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter JIG-SAW) and SAKAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter Sakai Heavy Industries) on their cooperative “Auto-Drive Synchronized Control System (ASCS) for Compaction Equipment” project aimed at implementing functions such as autonomous operation for road rollers.

The collaborative project will continue to work with a variety of companies and industries in its effort to create industry-standard equipment. Hazama Ando is the second construction company to participate, following Obayashi Corporation.

*About the ASCS for Compaction Equipment Project

The purpose of this project is to develop industry-standard equipment with autonomous and coordinated control functions for machines used in the compaction process, which have a significant impact on the quality (durability, density, etc.) required for civil engineering projects in the field of i-Construction, such as embankments.

The project’s research prototype, created with an ultimate aim for practical industry-use, was completed in 2019, with autonomous driving, safety management, compaction management, and coordinated control as the main pillars of the system.

JIG-SAW and Sakai Heavy Industries have been working together since 2015 to research, develop, and test an autonomous driving and control system for road rollers. This initiative is the powered by the collaboration between Sakai Heavy Industries’ road roller construction machinery and JIG-SAW’s autonomous driving/control software development.

The project’s goal is to create practical, commercialized equipment by implementing JIG-SAW’s software into Sakai Heavy Industries’ machinery. Through the research and development process, demonstrations of the autonomous driving and control were made possible in 2019, and new development for cooperative operations with other external machinery has begun.

Based on this research and testing, we have clarified our position of developing an industry standard machine and our aim to collaborate with companies in related industries at a wider range. In June 2019, as a part of Sakai Heavy Industries and JIG-SAW’s joint automation project: “Auto-Drive Synchronized Control System (ASCS)”, a memorandum of understanding has been concluded to create the formal joint development project “Auto-Drive Synchronized Control System (ASCS) for Compaction Equipment.” In addition, development of cooperative control functions with other compaction machines and construction machinery has begun, and is nearing practical implementation.

This project is expected to continue expanding into a larger cooperative development.

Furthermore, JIG-SAW has previously worked with Obayashi Corporation during the successful 5G demonstration test performed in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and will continue to strengthen its efforts to expand and create practical operation functions through participation in projects such as the ASCS project.

Overview of Future Focused Initiatives

• Autonomous Driving
  • Automatic compaction operation based on the detection of real time compaction status (via the unique acceleration response method, CCV) and the number of compaction cycles.
  • Coordinated cooperative operation of multiple vehicles to allow multiple different types of machines to be running at the same time and shorten the construction time required.
• Remote Control
  • Implementing manual remote control from outside the vehicle.
• IoT
  • Collection of vehicle information necessary for operation management.
  • Management and utilization of vehicle data collected through IoT implementation.
• Management Console
  • Preparing a management console on the cloud for end users, creating and managing operation route data and distributing it to vehicles.

About JIG-SAW US:

• IoT Data Control Service
• Unique algorithm-driven fully automated IoT – Cloud data control – Sensor-connecting services
• Development of state-of-the-art chips and modules, various communication controls, research and development of next-generation real-time OS
  *Expanding A&A services (automation, diversification, and sharing) for all industries based on optimal automated control and ‘operation technology (OT)’.
  *Equipped with software technology centered on OS technology, hardware technology centered on ultra-high-speed communication and signal control, and application of foundational technology to the regenerative medicine field, etc.