Autonomous Machine Will Handle Civil Work in Switzerland, Marking a Key Step Toward Fully Unmanned Construction Sites
HD Hyundai Site Solution, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s construction machinery business, has deployed an unmanned autonomous excavator at an actual construction site for the first time.
HD Hyundai Site Solution announced on April 29 that it has delivered an unmanned autonomous excavator to a construction site operated by KIBAG, a major European construction group. The delivery was carried out in collaboration with Gravis Robotics, a company specializing in AI-based unmanned autonomy.
The equipment deployed is a 22-ton mid-size excavator from HD Construction Equipment. The delivered excavator is equipped with the Real-X Solution, which integrates HD Hyundai Site Solution’s smart excavator platform with Gravis Robotics’ AI autonomy technology. The machine is set to be put to work at a construction site in the Tuggen region of Switzerland, where it will autonomously perform civil engineering work covering 3 meters in depth, 12 meters in width, and 1 kilometer in length.
HD Hyundai’s unmanned autonomous excavator, with no operator in the cab, being demonstrated at ConExpo 2026, a North American construction equipment trade show. (Phto provided by HD Hyundai Site Solution)
The unmanned autonomous excavator equipped with Real-X is capable of carrying out tasks according to preset targets without being affected by operator fatigue or concentration levels. This enables it to achieve average productivity of approximately 120% compared to manned operation.
The equipment delivery marks the outcome of a construction machinery autonomy collaboration project between HD Hyundai Site Solution and Gravis Robotics. The two companies have continued their technical cooperation since signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on construction equipment autonomy verification at Bauma 2025, a construction machinery trade show held in Germany last year.
HD Hyundai Site Solution began developing unmanned autonomous solutions for construction equipment in 2019, with the goal of fully unmanning construction sites. The company has also recently held equipment demonstration sessions featuring Real-X for customers around the world at major global construction machinery trade shows held in Europe and North America.
HD Hyundai Site Solution plans to expand its global partnerships based on its existing European verification track record and this latest field deployment, gradually increasing the number of use cases for unmanned autonomous construction equipment. Kim Pan-young, Executive Vice President of HD Hyundai Site Solution, said, “This project is the first step in bringing unmanned autonomous construction equipment technology to life on an actual site,” and added, “It will be a turning point in enhancing safety and productivity at construction sites and in accelerating the future of the global construction machinery industry.”
Jung Min-hee
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