EAST PEORIA \u2014 A distance of 1,500 miles was no impediment for East Peoria Community High School students operating a Caterpillar Inc. bulldozer.<\/p>\n
The teens took turns Thursday experimenting with moving a D11T around a proving ground in Tucson, Ariz., as remote operators from a trailer outside of the company\u2019s Building CV in East Peoria as part of a demonstration of the emerging technology dubbed Command for Dozing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason we have this offering is to help get operators out of harm\u2019s way and keep them comfortable, get them out of the noisy and dusty environment at the mine site as well as get them closer to populated areas and get them home to their families after every shift,\u201d said Craig Watkins, a commercial manager for surface mining technology at Caterpillar. \u201cIf we can get them home at the end of every shift, we\u2019re going to find a lot more people a lot more willing to do this type of work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the company is \u201cworking toward the autonomous mine site of the future,\u201d Watkins said.<\/p>\n
And those changes appeal to students like EPCHS freshman Jared Biggs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re in the real thing, you get the fumes, dust, everything. If you\u2019re in the simulator, all you do is sit down. It\u2019s like a normal video game.\u201d<\/p>\n
It absolutely is, if also a bit more futuristic and interactive. The command console, designed to be operated just like the controls in the cab of a bulldozer \u2014 except with some added touchscreen controls in place of switches \u2014 features live-feed cameras from the front, rear and sides of the cab. Those views are supplemented by another, longer-distance view of the work area.<\/p>\n
Such remotely operated setups allow users to drive the earth-moving equipment from a distance anywhere from a few feet away to a point thousands of miles distant.<\/p>\n
By Chris Kaergard<\/a>
\nJournal Star political reporter @ChrisKaergard<\/a><\/p>\n