Simulators Provide Workers the Opportunity to Experience Operating Heavy Machinery in a Safe Fashion
Good training is essential for workers in all construction sectors, but in-class learning can only go so far and letting trainees run large and expensive equipment can be problematic (or expensive, should the worst happen).
Simulators are an invaluable tool for training workers by allowing them to experience running the equipment in a safe fashion.
CM Labs are none of the most prominent developers of simulators for the construction sector. Alan Limoges, CM Labs Manager, Product Growth and Partnerships for Construction and Utilities, says that they provide simulators for four main areas – construction, utilities, ports and forestry.
“Obviously, for us, road building falls under construction, and we do some side projects for the industrial market as well, with things like an overhead crane, says Limoges. “But primarily, earth moving is our bread and butter. Road building falls under that with equipment like the excavator, motor grader, dozer, articulated dump truck and a ton more. So, 95 per cent of the time, when someone comes to us from road building or civil construction, what we have under our construction portfolio meets what they are looking for.”
Variety of Configurations
CM Labs’ Vortex simulators come in a variety of configurations. The hardware is available in everything from small models that can be installed on a desk or table to units such as the massive Vortex MasterCab, which has 10 high-definition displays around the user for a fully immersive experience.
“The way the simulator has worked is you can have any software you want on it,” says Limoges. “So if you take our Advantage simulator [a five-screen unit], for example, you can have an excavator on it, and you could also have a port crane and a piece of forestry equipment on it. You don’t need different hardware for different machines, you can swap out the joysticks but the simulator is the same. You can have like 20-plus pieces of equipment on the same simulator that way and you don’t need to buy a new simulator if you want to train on different pieces of equipment. You can switch between pieces of equipment in under a minute.”
Expanding Into Roadbuilding Sector
Limoges notes that road building equipment simulators are an area where CM Labs is interested in expanding in the future. He also states that people in the road building sector would appreciate the benefits of their integration of technology from developer Trimble.
“We integrate Trimble Earthworks on the excavator, motor grader and dozer,” says Limoges. “Obviously, in the road building world, you need very specific grading and you need to be really accurate. So, it’s the real Trimble tablet and real Trimble software. And since we simulate all the sensors and everything already, we’re almost able to trick the Trimble tablet into thinking there’s a real excavator on the other side of it. You’re able to practice on the real software and learn how it works in a safe environment. So by the time you get into the real piece of equipment, and let’s say your motor grader is decked out with that Trimble, you hit the ground running.”
[…]Read the full interview about hands-on learning thanks to simulators in Rock to Road’s November/December 2024 Magazine, p12-p14.