IRONPROS is focused on construction technology used in a business setting, and of course the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 is, as it is every year, focused on products for the mass market.
So it was with some trepidation that I trekked to Las Vegas, arriving for Media Only Day on Monday. This was an opportunity to see equipment while the booths were still being set up, with fewer people and less bustle and activity.
During Media-Only Day, views of equipment were less obscured by throngs of attendees.
Electrification, autonomy and teleoperation were the focus for exhibitors including:
- Caterpillar, which displayed its existing Cat Command system, a zero-exhaust-emission underground loader and a mini excavator
- Deere exhibited a new electric excavator, powered by a Kreisel battery, thanks in part to a majority stake the OEM has in Kreisel Electric, which contributes immersion cooling architecture for faster charge, longer life and improved safety and performance
- Doosan Bobcat brought the all-electric Bobcat T7X compact track loader is the first machine of its kind to fully eliminate all hydraulics and components plus its category-buster Rogue X2 and Max Control
- HD Hyundai had a passel of futuristic concept equipment, including autonomous excavators and bulldozers, but also demoed their Twin Xite teleoperation product, which is expected to market yet this year
- Polymath Robotics entertained a swath of visitors with their remote operation and autonomy demos
HD Hyundai also announced a partnership with CNH Industrial to establish a joint research center in the United States to study emerging construction technology trends and potential for innovation. It was interesting to really immerse myself in the HD Hyundai world, and we had the opportunity to interview CEO Cheolgon Choi.
Rooster Asset Management's cloud application includes both pre-configured equipment classes and the ability to create new ones. An API is expected this year.
Equipment Tracking Tech at CES
But not all of the construction technology-related exhibits were focused on expensive or exotic capabilities. According to IRONPROS research, one of the single most active product categories in construction technology is GPS asset tracking. Exhibitors offering systems to track both powered and unpowered assets included Rooster Asset Tracking Systems and Cube Tracker. These products can provide visibility and control into machine location and operating hours at a cost accessible to any contractor.
Rooster’s offering includes a cloud-based app that supports equipment-centric businesses like construction with configurable asset classes and the ability, according to Rooster marketing communications and public relations leader Cindy Trotto, track what a contractor owns, where it is and its activity. A cloud interface features both pre-populated asset classes to help organize an equipment list and the ability to create new classes or categories. The technology relies on affordable, moveable trackers that may be attached by a magnet, a lanyard or a mounting frame and can also consume equipment data from OEM telematics units. While the amount of data crossing into Rooster from existing telematics is currently limited, this will expand this year, and Trotto said an application programming interface (API) will be coming to help port Rooster asset data into other, more expensive and enterprise-focused, fleet management software for analysis and business support.
