JLG Industries, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company and a leading global manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telehandlers, has announced that Robert S. Messina, Oshkosh Corporation’s senior vice president of engineering and technology, and chief technology officer, will deliver a presentation titled “Robots on Construction Sites” at ConExpo 2017.
Messina’s presentation is part of the show’s Tech Talks, a series of short presentations meant to challenge the status quo, encourage curiosity, and spark innovative thinking among attendees. Messina is scheduled to speak Tuesday, March 7, at 11:42 a.m. in the Tech Experience Auditorium.
“Self-operating or autonomous access equipment will play a significant role in the worksite of the future—most likely the very near future,” Messina said. “With roots in technology advanced by adjacent industries, such as defense, autonomous vehicles and robots on construction sites bring the potential to enhance safety, efficiency, and productivity in a variety of applications.”
Messina’s tech talk, supported by video, will cover:
Factors that drove development of autonomy in the defense industry
Finding the "why" for adopting the technology in construction
Potential autonomy and robotics applications in construction
“It’s not a matter of if, but rather when self-driving vehicles and other automated work procedures—simple things like cutting and turning valves—will appear on jobsites,” said Messina. “The technology already exists to operate a vehicle without a driver. In the Oshkosh family, we’re embracing that technology and using it to fuel innovation, with the goal of delivering new, one-of-a-kind solutions that will safely serve the unique needs of our customers.”