Remote Control of Ordinary Backhoe Using Pneumatic Robot System

In disaster sites, the remote control of construction machinery is required to ensure the safety of the workers. However, the current remote control systems are limited in types of machines and numbers. A remote control system we have developed has advantages in portability and dexterity by using lightweight pneumatic robot arms. The effectiveness of the system has been confirmed with a small type backhoe. In this research, a system was developed to improve flexibility. First, the moving angle of the robot arm was enlarged. Then, the sliding system was developed to move the robot back and forth so that the robot arms can operate not only the levers to control the arm of the backhoe but also that of the acceleration. Moreover, CCD camera was attached to inform the vision from the backhoe. The system was applied to an ordinary backhoe whose bucket size is 0.28 m. Some field tests were conducted and the effectiveness of the developed system was proven.