Hyundai Connect: Connecting People, Equipment, and Worksite with Digital Technology

A trend of innovation in productivity and focus on safety using digital technology and technology intelligence is becoming more prevalent in the construction equipment industry. Construction equipment is no longer a “smart” machine that helps users finish their job easier. Construction equipment is evolving into an integration of modern technology that houses AI technology, serving as a machine that is both productive and safe.

Going along the trend, Hyundai Construction Equipment created Hyundai Connect, a hyperconnectivity-based ICT brand, to equip the company’s machines with AI technologies. The ICT brand provides four services: Hi SITE, Hi ASSIST, Hi DETECT, and Hi CARE. The company aims to maximize our customer value by connecting the users, their equipment, and their worksites using digital technology.

Hi SITE: Managing Your Worksite

Hi SITE is a drone mapping-based worksite management solution that uses cloud storage. The service is the most recently developed feature in Hyundai Connect.

Hi SITE specializes in providing integrated information on the overall procedure in civil engineering works. The service develops a complete picture of the construction on a cloud platform by mapping the worksite using a drone and then utilizing the data to manage and maintain the worksite during and after the construction. The source photograph taken by the mapping drone is uploaded to a cloud service, creating a three-dimensional picture of the site. The 3D picture is then overlayed on the blueprint, with which the workers can examine their progress, calculate the amount of ground to cut or mound, and plan their work. Applying Hi SITE on a construction site will remarkably reduce the time spent on the survey and increase the preciseness and speed of the tasks. Furthermore, a foreperson can oversee and supervise the construction via PC or mobile through the digitalized map online as the service is accessible via a cloud service. Without a doubt, Hi SITE will immensely enhance productivity.

Hyundai Construction Equipment is perfecting its Hi SITE technology using XiteCloud, a platform developed by its affiliate company. The company will continue its cooperation efforts to provide more advanced service.

Hi ASSIST: Driver Assistance Solution

Hi ASSIST is an assistance solution for drivers that provides work guides and (semi)automatic work features using the company’s Smart Guidance and Smart Control technology.

The Smart Guidance technology gathers data on the equipment’s position, location, and work range through built-in sensors. Smart Guidance then processes and relays the information to the driver in real time. The feature minimizes measuring processes during tasks, reducing accidents and costs while increasing productivity and work efficiency.

Hyundai Construction Equipment showcased its 2D Smart Guidance feature in 2019. In 2021, HCE added Smart Control, a semiautomatic driver assistance feature, to Smart Guidance. Smart Control was first applied to HW145+, the company’s 14-ton wheel excavator model. Although the feature currently supports a limited range of semiautomatic works such as leveling, the company aims to expand its use to automatic lifting, loading, and more. Furthermore, by 2023, Hyundai Construction Equipment plans to self-develop the 3D Smart Guidance system currently provided by aftermarket (AM) companies. With Hi ASSIST, HCE will pursue to make continuous upgrades in its technology, leading the era of autonomous construction equipment.

Hi DETECT: Equipment Safety Solution

Hi DETECT is a safety solution preventing potential accidents in the worksite. By detecting nearby workers or obstacles through cameras and radar sensors, the service gives visual/auditory alerts to the driver.

HCE took a phase-by-phase approach in developing Hi DETECT, dividing the project into four phases. The company is currently working on its third phase, with the features of the first and second phases in use. After completing the first phase, HCE released the AAVM (Advanced Around View Monitoring) feature. Introduced to the industry by HCE in 2015, the monitoring technology uses four cameras mounted on the machine to provide a complete 360-degree view of the machine’s surroundings without any blind zones.

After finishing its second phase, the company released the RDS (Rear Detection System) feature in 2020. The system uses radar technology to detect obstacles at the rear side of the machine and alert the driver upon recognizing a potential hazard. After its release, RDS was applied to the company’s wheel loaders and its wheel excavators in 2021. The third phase of the development is expected to be completed in 2023, at which point HCE will release AAVM+, integrating the AAVM technology and the RDS. Hi DETECT will ultimately provide the SAVM (Smart Around View Monitoring) feature, which adopts AI technologies to recognize the type and risk from the detected obstacles autonomously. Upon detecting a safety risk, the service will control the machine to give alerts, decelerate, or engage an emergency shutdown.

Hi CARE: A Remote Machine Maintenance and Inspection Solution

Hi CARE is a remote machine maintenance and inspection solution. Hi CARE allows drivers to perform real-time check-ups and preventive inspections to maintain the machine’s optimal performance.

Hyundai Construction Equipment released the company’s remote equipment maintenance system Hi MATE in 2009 and its mobile application Fleet Manager App in 2019, which helps users manage their equipment in fleets. The company launched ProAct Care in 2021, a service that monitors the machine’s status in real-time and alerts the dealers upon detecting a potential malfunction. With the service, the users received prompt proactive care from their dealers. Hi CARE is a premium service that integrates Hi MATE and ProAct Care. The solution minimizes the machine's downtime and maximizes the expected earnings of the user.

Furthermore, the company will apply AI technology to Hi CARE to analyze the malfunction and the cause of the problem remotely, even predicting potential breakdowns. By 2023, HCE plans to develop an AI-based malfunction analysis technology and apply it to next-generation models.

Hyundai Connect from Hyundai Construction Equipment focuses on the three primary aspects crucial to the industry: safety, productivity, and convenience. HCE will make the service a global solution that enhances safety and productivity in worksites, satisfies the users with its convenience, and maximizes the value of the users in their job. Hyundai Connect will be at the center of the smart construction sites in the future.