Major Roads Projects Victoria has welcomed the implementation of a new high-tech robot placed on the Craigieburn Road Upgrade to ensure safety and efficiency.
The small robot – around the size of a lawnmower – will ensure that surveyors on the Craigieburn Road Upgrade continue to have the best possible equipment and the flexibility to respond to the evolving challenges during the road construction.
Dubbed the “TinySurveyor Terra”, the robot is a fast and compact instrument and is equipped with advanced GPS and automation technology which can deliver precise and reliable measurements faster than traditional methods.
The TinySurveyor Terra is currently being used to autonomously paint precise points on the road, saving construction workers the strain of bending over to mark dots near live traffic.
MRPV and its construction partner, Fulton Hogan, invested in the surveying technology which saves surveyors time spent on manual work and minimises the risk to human safety on site, such as exposure to the elements and close proximity to live traffic.
On the Craigieburn Road Upgrade, TinySurveyor Terra has been completing the surveying activities in around a fifth of the time it would normally take to complete on foot.
Major Road Projects Victoria Senior Project Manager, Dimuth Gammampila, said that the surveying robot is helping speed the construction process up.
“This next-gen surveying robot has quickly become an important tool for the Craigieburn Road Upgrade, and will help us get the job done safer and sooner,” Mr Gammampila said.
“Our surveyors are able to be so much more efficient with this newer and technologically advanced robot, as part of our investment to give our team the resources they need to work safely in all areas of construction.”
TinySurveyor Terra has been online since July 2023 and still requires the essential input of surveyors to ensure the safety of the robot and the appropriate operations.
Other similar type robots are expected to enter similar construction projects in the near future including the Sunbury Road Upgrade.
The Craigieburn Road Upgrade has made fast progress and is expected to be fully complete in 2025.
Featured image: The robot, TinySurveyor Terra, marking the road on the Craigieburn Road Upgrade project. Image courtesy of Major Roads Projects Victoria.