8:00am - 8:10am Welcome and Opening Remarks

Representatives from NFPA and MSOE will call us to order and provide an overview of today’s program and the supporting organizations.

8:10am - 8:50am Advancing Autonomy in Agriculture and Construction

Peter Bleday, Danfoss Power Solutions

In this session we will discuss the technical, social, and economic factors that are driving the need for advanced vehicles in the agriculture and construction industry. We will also discuss the market forces that are creating the need for more vehicles with high operator assistance functions and a future state of driverless automation. This discussion will include some of the significant challenges OEMs and suppliers face with new technologies and “edge case” management around the vehicle and job site. During the discussion we will also focus on how to overcome these challenges and the future of the off-highway autonomous vehicle industry.

8:50am - 9:30am Integrated Cartridge Valve Sensing Techniques for Improved Closed Loop Control

Bernd Zaehe, Sun Hydraulics

Autonomous machines need reliable, controllable motion control, ideally data describing the actual movements are available.  Many valves today use linear sensors that measure orifice openings. A proposed improvement is a proportional flow control valves that uses an integrated turbine as a flowmeter to measure actual flow rather than the opening, which may or may not have actual flow.  The presentation shows the function of the new patented valve, the performance, and applications where it ensures a more accurate, more reliable motion control without the need for expensive sensors on cylinders or motors.

9:30am – 10:10am Autonomy and Guidance in Worker Interactions for Fluid Power

Dan Bagley, B&B Management Labs

This presentation will review a range of options in the production, operation, and enabled use of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, from both the operator’s and the user’s perspective. Uses of augmented reality, exoskeleton devices, and other guidance technology will be presented to understand what can be done practically now, and how to build business case for investment-ready technologies or solutions that address the needs associated with autonomous functions and operations in off-highway equipment.

 

10:10am – 10:30am Future Development and Discussion

Representatives from NFPA and MSOE will present information from the NFPA Technology Roadmap on future development needs for fluid power in autonomous functions and operations, and engage participants in discussion on same topic.