by Wen Tsui
LAS VEGAS, the United States, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Two joysticks. One small controller hanging from his neck. And a tower crane lifting heavy loads more than 11,000 km away.
Standing in a showroom in Las Vegas, Xing Licheng, an engineer at Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., guided a crane in Changde, China's Hunan Province, through lifting, rotation and trolleying in real time, without setting foot in an operator's cabin. Multiple cameras mounted on the crane fed him a 360-degree view of the worksite and hook, replicating the view of an on-site operator.
A few booths away at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, North America's largest construction trade show in Las Vegas, Mark Cressey settled into the cockpit of SANY Heavy Industry's intelligent excavator control system. The field superintendent from Northridge Contracting Ltd. in Canada nudged the two joysticks flanking his seat.
"I've run excavators before, just never a remote control," Cressey told Xinhua, "This would be very useful in places like Fort McMurray, especially around tailings ponds and other hazardous worksites."
Fort McMurray sits at the heart of Canada's oil sands industry. In some dangerous conditions, workers can slip, fall and face serious danger, Cressey said. Remote operation, he added, would be especially valuable on jobs requiring excavators to work over frozen surfaces or above deep water, keeping operators out of harm's way without sacrificing productivity.
The demonstrations were a highlight of this year's CONEXPO-CON/AGG held from March 3 to 7, where Chinese construction equipment manufacturers used the industry platform to signal a strategic priority on artificial intelligence (AI).
Chinese industry leaders, including Zoomlion, XCMG and SANY, are deploying AI-driven systems to improve machine performance, reduce downtime and raise safety standards. The technology enables predictive maintenance, real-time operational analytics and autonomous machinery, company representatives told Xinhua.
"In the era of intelligent technology, China is not simply cutting corners on a curve," Tan Ruxu, deputy general manager of Zoomlion's overseas operations, told Xinhua. "We are lining up at the starting line of a new track alongside our international competitors."
The North American market has long been regarded as one of the most demanding and competitive arenas in the global construction equipment industry, making this year's show both a showcase and a proving ground.
After touring the Chinese exhibitors' booths, Matter Conger of Voith, a German engineering technology company, said the improvement in technology and reliability among Chinese brands in recent years had been remarkable.
"They are Chinese answers to Caterpillar and Case," Conger said, adding that he hoped to use the show to develop closer ties with Chinese companies. ■