Look, no operator: JTC, Kajima pilot Singapore’s first autonomous heavy construction equipment

In a corner of Jurong West, ‘Optimus Prime and his friends’ are proving that construction equipment can work without anyone behind the controls.This isn’t a Transformers movie set or that the Autobots have come to earth and chose Singapore. Instead, JTC Corporation and Japanese construction firm Kajima Corporation are putting autonomous heavy construction equipment through its paces at Bulim Autonomous Yard. Announcing this in a joint news release on Thursday (Sept 17), JTC and Kajima said the pilot will test how these machines can ease Singapore’s construction manpower constraints and improve safety.This will be the first pilot project to explore the use of autonomous heavy construction equipment in Singapore, said the statement.Working together with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office (S&TPPO), this is part of JTC’s sandbox for validating autonomous construction equipment under real site conditions.