HD Hyundai outlined at CES 2024 how it is looking to innovate and create cutting-edge technologies backed by AI (artificial intelligence), digital technologies, and robotics, that will go beyond improving construction sites and equipment to fundamentally transform the way humanity builds the future.

During a keynote speech at the event, Vice Chairman and CEO Kisun Chung presented his vision for an Xite Transformation, with Xite referring to an expanded concept for construction job sites. It incorporates the company’s goal of building smart construction sites with electrification and autonomous, digital-twin, eco-friendly, and more future construction equipment technologies.

“The construction industry has laid the foundation for human civilization, and yet it remains one of the slowest today when it comes to technology and innovation,” said Chung. “We are here today to share HD Hyundai’s vision for changing the future course of humanity by changing the future of the construction industry, which we are calling Xite Transformation. This solution utilizes the latest technology to create a more sustainable future for humanity by solving pressing challenges such as safety, security, supply-chain issues, and climate change.”

Headlining the exciting equipment that will help enable the Xite Transformation was a 15-ft-tall unmanned concept excavator featuring a cabless design. The Future Xite Excavator is a fully electric-powered autonomous machine that is upgradable with software updates. Its perception/safety sensor system features radar and a smart AAVM (all-around view monitoring) camera system that detects nearby obstacles and minimizes the potential for accidents while moving autonomously.

The concept can be built with various upper body and under-carriage (track and battery) modules depending on purpose and task. The machine is equipped with four independent adaptive track systems that enable it to climb steep hills and reduce the need for operators to work in harsh sites that may be potentially dangerous.

Other key features are an indicator for operation status and working load, offset boom swing and extended arm systems, a rotator capable of combining various attachments, boom-integrated perception sensors, and a combined auto-balancing counterweight with battery.

Chung hopes to build upon HD Hyundai’s recent history of working to lead the construction industry by prioritizing opportunities in future technology fields like autonomy that are still in the early stages of development. The company already claims to be a top global player in advanced technologies by being the first to present 5G remote control across countries for construction equipment in 2018. A year later, it successfully demonstrated Concept-X, the unmanned and automated construction site solution that oversees site operations from survey to fleet management.

Chung presented the company’s three main innovation goals: enhancing safety with digital technologies, delivering productivity with site autonomy, and decarbonizing and building an energy value chain. He also revealed X-Wise and X-Wise Xite technologies, which are said to be key in the journey towards the Xite Transformation.

X-Wise is an AI platform designed to maximize safety and efficiency in fleet management to reach the ultimate goal of site autonomy, and it will be applied to all HD Hyundai’s industrial solutions as a base technology going forward. X-Wise Xite extension is an intelligent site management solution developed for optimal production of infrastructure for connecting all construction equipment applied in real-time.

 

Open innovation and partnering

To realize site autonomy with these two innovative technologies, the company plans to become the leader in open innovation by partnering with top industry players to build a new global ecosystem. Following Chung’s keynote, other HD Hyundai execs and reps from partnering companies specified how they plan to collaborate to help with the Xite Transformation.

Winta Bereket, Marketing Manager at HD Hyundai Infracore North America, introduced HD Hyundai’s AI technology applied to construction equipment that will enhance safety and productivity, advancing the realization of site autonomy.

“Thanks to X-Wise, safety is getting a technology upgrade—for instance, the smart AAVM CES Innovation Award Honoree, teleoperation, and our state-of-the-art smart workstations,” she said. “X-Wise will make a more efficient approach to equipment handling, and HD Hyundai will make advancements in its equipment to intelligent machines to complete site autonomy.”

Prof. Marco Hutter from Gravis Robotics shared how his research on quadrupedal robots grew into developing autonomous excavators and outlined the key features of robotic construction equipment.

“HD Hyundai and Gravis discovered in our research that quadrupedal robots and construction equipment actually have a lot in common,” he said. “This inspired us to start a collaboration to develop robotic construction equipment. HD Hyundai has been striving toward autonomous construction with its Concept-X in 2019 and then again with Concept-X2 in 2022. This will unlock unprecedented capabilities for future construction and to transform the very nature of this industry.”

Philip Moyer, Google Cloud AI Business Global Vice President, and Aerin Jungmin Lee, Senior Manager from HD Hyundai, presented the roadmap that the two companies are working on for generative AI.

“We are using a large language model to build construction-specific AI technology,” said Moyer. “X-Wise Xite will be using data from Google to pick up on a pattern of behavior and preferences, which ultimately helps it personalize recommendations in accordance with the user’s priorities.”

Dong-wook Lee, President and CTO of HD Hyundai XiteSolution, shared how the company plans to realize a fully autonomous site solution by combining intelligent construction equipment and X-Wise Xite and introducing the technological capability to create an environmentally friendly ecosystem.

“HD Hyundai will be combining the innovations in intelligent equipment and intelligent site management to deliver fully autonomous site solutions by 2030,” he said. “We are also working on decarbonizing the future of the construction industry and developing a global value chain such as electrification and an environmentally friendly energy ecosystem.”

Ghadah Alhamoud, International Relations Advisor at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resource, shared his expectations for the Xite Transformation, especially on how it will contribute to the NEOM future city concept and the Saudi Vision 2030.

 

Strengthening CNH collaboration

HD Hyundai hopes to strengthen its innovation efforts with a new development in its longstanding collaboration with CNH aimed at accelerating the development and investment in innovative technologies for construction industry customers.

At CES, Stefano Pampalone, President of Construction at CNH, and Young-Cheul Cho, President and CEO of HD Hyundai XiteSolution (HDX), the controlling company of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint research center in the U.S. At the CE Innovation Lab, a team of CNH and HDX construction specialists will study emerging technology trends, map new and evolving customer needs, and identify prospects for portfolio enhancements and further growth.

Their work is intended to advance the development and widespread adoption of new technologies such as automation and AI. The partners anticipate expanding their collaboration at the research center to encompass the co-development of new technologies and co-investment in innovative startups via their CNH Ventures and HD Hyundai investment arms.

As a part of the agreement, HDX will supply CNH with its AAVM+ (Advanced Around View Monitoring Plus) 360-degree camera and radar system for enhanced safety. CNH will supply HDX with Global Navigation Satellite System technologies through its Hemisphere brand.

“This joint effort will strengthen our commitment to growing CNH’s construction business and position both our companies as tech authorities in the industry,” said Pampalone.

“It is highly encouraging that our partnership has extended beyond our product collaboration to include future technologies, a crucial factor to remain at the forefront of the construction equipment market,” added Cho.

 

Smarter construction sites with AWS

HD Hyundai also announced at CES that it is teaming up with AWS (Amazon Web Services) to lead the innovation of future unmanned and autonomous construction sites. The ceremony bringing together HD Hyundai XiteSolution’s Lee, and Yasser Alsaied, VP of IoT (Internet of Things) at AWS, is said to mark a pivotal moment in elevating construction site safety and productivity.

The partners will collaborate to build a connectivity platform for XiteSolution’s smart construction equipment. The platform will integrate next-generation construction equipment with core smart functions to enhance reliability and productivity, with HD Hyundai anticipating a substantial surge of 30-70% in construction-site productivity and improved safety by transitioning towards unmanned operations.

“With the largest cloud provider as our partner, we can accelerate innovation towards unmanned autonomous construction sites of the future,” said Lee. “This collaboration marks a major milestone in HD Hyundai’s ongoing transformation beyond manufacturing into a comprehensive solutions provider.”

HD Hyundai will use AWS cloud, IoT technologies and services, AI, and machine-learning capabilities to build a smart construction solution. This solution will drive a suite of advanced features focused on boosting reliability, efficiency, and safety in next-generation integrated construction models developed by HD Hyundai’s Construction Equipment and Infracore units set to launch in 2025. AWS solutions will also be used to further refine the X-Wise Xite AI-powered construction site management solution showcased at CES.

HD Hyundai also looks to eventually expand the use of AWS to other business units including ship-building and offshore operations.