The construction and mining industries are facing the growing challenge of a shortage of trained operators for specialised and expensive machinery. 

After investing in dump trucks, excavators, or front-end loaders, companies struggle to find skilled personnel to operate them.

Teleo, a technology firm, claims to address this issue with its Supervised Autonomy platform. 

This retrofit kit can be installed on existing construction and mining equipment, allowing vehicles to function autonomously during routine tasks and enabling remote control by a human operator for more complex operations. 

The system relies on Teleo’s on-site mesh network to facilitate communication and control.

In 2023, Teleo announced the deployment of its technology with its first eight customer orders. These orders involved retrofitting 42 machines, some dating back to 2005, for use across 17 job sites in the US and Europe. 

The company boasts that this shows the practicality of Teleo’s platform in modernising older equipment and enhancing operational efficiency.

The Supervised Autonomy platform both mitigates labour shortages as well as improving productivity and safety on job sites, it says. 

By automating simpler tasks and providing remote control capabilities, Teleo’s technology ensures continuous operation and reduces downtime, ultimately leading to cost savings for companies.

As the technology in the construction and mining sectors continue to evolve, solutions like Teleo’s offer a promising path forward, addressing critical workforce challenges and paving the way for a more efficient and automated future.