Multi-Intelligent Excavator Collaboration Systems: An Overview

The advancement in automation technology for excavators signifies a shift from individual excavation tasks to collaborative multi-machine operations, with the aim of enhancing efficiency and safety in extensive operations. This study presents a concise overview of multi-intelligent excavator collaboration systems (MECS), introducing a framework that includes networked communication, task analysis, and motion planning. Networked communication is foundational, bolstered by the widespread use of Ethernet and the industrialization of 5G technology. Task analysis, which is the core of system, is bifurcated into single-agent intelligence and multi-machine collaboration, considering the task efficiency and collaborative completeness in complex environments. Motion planning, inherently linked to task analysis, is divided into operational and mobility aspects. Finally, this paper concludes by summarizing and projecting key technologies within the framework of collaborative systems.