Doosan Bobcat signs investment deal with U.S. autonomous solution company Ainstein

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 8, 2021, 14:28 Updated : January 8, 2021, 14:43

[Courtesy of Doosan Bobcat]

SEOUL -- Doosan Bobcat, a construction equipment maker affiliated with South Korea's Doosan Group, signed an investment deal with an American autonomous technology company. The investment deal is part of Doosan's big picture to create an autonomous heavy equipment ecosystem that can
be remotely controlled.

The construction equipment maker said in a statement on January 8 that the company signed an equity agreement with Ainstein, a radar sensor company dedicated to exploring the applications of advanced sensing and processing technologies in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Details such as financial terms were not disclosed.

"Through the equity investment deal, we expect our profit to be increased through radar sensor royalty as well as accelerating the development of autonomous technologies," a Doosan Bobcat official was quoted as saying. The two companies have been partners since 2018. Doosan Bobcat and Ainstein agreed in April 2020 to jointly develop radar and sensors for equipment automation.

The development of autonomous equipment sensors was included in Doosan Group's plan to create an unmanned construction solution that can remotely control autonomous equipment using mobile data communication networks.

In 2020, Doosan Bobcat developed remote control technology called "Max Control" to operate construction equipment by using an iOS-based iPhone or iPad. User can operate construction equipment by remote control within a radius of up to 450 meters, and switch it on and off as needed, using a smartphone.

In November 2019, Doosan Infracore, a construction machinery-making wing of Doosan Group, demonstrated an automated construction system called "Concept-X" for commercial use. Workers at the control tower located in Seoul controlled equipment at Doosan's test field in Boryeong some 135 kilometers (83 miles) southwest of Seoul using the automation solution. Drones fitted with specials sensors were used to create a three-dimensional map of the test field so that autonomous equipment could work in it.
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