For the first time in Australia, leading resource and construction firm MPC Kinetic has begun putting fully autonomous excavators to work, digging pipeline trenches across Queensland’s Surat Basin.
It follows a successful trial in late 2019, which saw a 36-tonne excavator operate fully autonomously through an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidance System developed by U.S. technology startup Built Robotics.
On the back of the trial’s success, MPC Kinetic will partner with Built Robotics to expand operations in Australia with the aim to roll out a fleet of fully automated excavators.
It’s not the first time the Brisbane-based construction firm has disrupted the industry, with its culture to challenge the norm and deliver better outcomes for clients with its range of purpose-built industry innovations.
MPC Kinetic Business Unit Leader Richard Butler said the move to autonomous equipment has been a progressive step for the company — but also for the wider industry.
“We see autonomous earthmoving equipment as the key to building a new era of construction here in Australia,” Mr. Butler said.
With the company looking to undertake significant construction activities across Australia in the coming 12 months, he said fully automated equipment would form a large part of the company’s fleet.
“We see the development of innovative solutions like fully autonomous excavation as a win for our crews, our company, and importantly, our clients.
“For us, it’s not about replacing our people, it’s about freeing up our skilled workers from simple, repetitive tasks, and letting them focus on the more technical and critical duties within our operations.
“Safety and efficiency will always be at the core of MPC Kinetic’s culture, but it’s innovative solutions like automation that enable us to deliver a value for our business and partners,” he said.
Echoing those sentiments, Built Robotics’ CEO Noah Ready-Campbell said the landmark partnership with MPC Kinetic was the first time the automated technology had been deployed outside the United States.
“We’ve completed more than 8,000 hours of safe and successful autonomous operation on job sites across the United States, and now we’re out here in Australian with MPC Kinetic digging pipeline trenches,” Mr Ready-Campbell said. “We couldn’t be more excited to have MPC Kinetic as our launch partner in the Australian market. They are a proven leader in deploying cutting-edge technology in tough environments, and they recognize the impact that autonomy can have as a force multiplier in the hands of skilled workers”.
About Built Robotics
Built Robotics’ mission is to build the robots that build the world. By upgrading off-the-shelf heavy equipment with AI guidance systems, Built’s technology enables machines to operate fully autonomously. Built’s robots are deployed today across the $1 trillion earthmoving industry, and they’re being used to build critical infrastructure such as wind farms, gas pipelines, and new housing developments. Built Robotics is headquartered in San Francisco.
About MPC Kinetic
MPC Kinetic provides essential upstream services to the energy and resource industries. The company’s breadth of expertise across the oil and gas, mining, renewable, and water sectors is underpinned by two things: understanding and commitment.
MPC Kinetic plays a key role in Australia’s largest resource developments and as a result has forged strong, long-term working relationships with most of our country’s leading resource sector companies. MPC Kinetic is headquartered in Brisbane.