Project Overview

This solution, applied to a large-scale solar power plant construction site in Australia, is an automation system for installation based on a Mobile Manipulator, centered around 'LUMI', an autonomous mobile robot developed by Luminous Robotics. The site presented challenging conditions for human workers, including high temperatures, strong winds, and rough terrain. Consequently, there has been a rising demand for Construction Automation due to labor shortages and increasing labor costs.

LUMI is a mobile robot arm designed to install heavy solar panels quickly and accurately, featuring an integrated structure of autonomous driving capabilities, a robot arm, and high-precision sensors. Notably, it is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing labor-centered installation methods, enabling a transition to site automation without requiring separate infrastructure changes.

Project Background & Objectives

Background

While Australia has an environment favorable for creating large-scale solar power complexes due to abundant solar radiation, the nature of remote areas—where securing construction labor is difficult—has led to continuous issues with slow installation speeds and rising costs. In particular, with panels weighing over 36kg, repetitive installation tasks under hot and humid conditions increased the risk of worker injury and led to decreased productivity.

Objectives

• Improve solar panel installation speed and reduce labor costs

• Ensure consistency in installation quality

• Secure operational safety in extreme environments

• Establish a foundation for large-scale automation to expand Renewable Energy infrastructure