December 2, 2024
NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)
Keio University
Obayashi Corporation
As part of NEDO's "Project for Discovering and Nurturing Young Researchers through Public-Private Collaboration," a research group led by Associate Professor Takahiro Nozaki of Keio University and Obayashi Corporation developed the "Automatic Explosive Loading System" (hereinafter, "the System") in 2023. This system, which applies a technology that remotely reproduces haptic feedback (Real Haptics®), remotely operates and automates the task of loading explosives at the working face (face) of a mountain tunnel. The team has now successfully used the System to remotely load live explosives from outside the tunnel and carry out blasting. Furthermore, by integrating technologies such as blast hole detection, they have also succeeded in automating the System's operations, which is expected to improve productivity.
In the future, the team aims for on-site application of this series of technologies by incorporating a device to supply primer cartridges (primer feeder), coordinating with the autonomous operation of heavy machinery, and further automating the leg wire connection work for explosives. Additionally, by enabling each task to be learned autonomously, they will advance development toward the unmanned operation of tunnel excavation work.
For the full press release, please see below.