Steer began with the clearance of a large artillery range in Norway, used by the military for 50 years. Today, the company specializes in systems for remote control or automation of excavators and dump trucks.
A firing range with the size of 165 square kilometers. Used by the Norwegian military for 50 years. Countless unexploded bombs and shells. Clear it at once, please! A gigantic project, and an extremely dangerous one at that. It quickly became clear that clearing the area without endangering human lives would only be possible with remote-controlled systems. But back in 2008, there was no company with the necessary expertise. This moment marked the birth of Steer. So, with the support of the Norwegian construction company Gjermundshaug Group, Steer was founded. Just a few months later, the first remote-controlled excavators began operating, and the first tests with autonomous vehicles were soon underway.
Today, the firing range has been almost completely cleared. 500 tons of unexploded ammunition and metal scrap have been removed by the Norwegian military and the Gjermundshaug Group. This was only possible thanks to the remote-controlled and autonomous construction machines with Steer’s technology on board.
Steer has continuously improved and developed its retrofittable systems on both the hardware and software sides. The technology is now also being used in civilian applications, for example in several large mines in Northern Europe.
For the latest generation of autonomous dump trucks, based on vehicles from Caterpillar, Steer relies on Syslogic’s AI-enabled embedded systems. These serve as the central vehicle controller and process data from cameras, GPS, radar and lidar in parallel. The AI-supported embedded system derives intelligent decisions directly from the evaluated data. As a result, the vehicle is controlled autonomously, can interact with other vehicles and detects obstacles or hazards. The technology works so well that a significant increase in productivity is achieved compared to manually operated vehicles. The autonomous vehicles are faster and safer compared to manually operated ones. They can be used in 24/7 operation if required. They also travel much more economically than conventionally operated vehicles - stop-and-go is avoided, which means less wear and tear, better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
Naturally, safety considerations also play a role in civilian applications. The huge dump trucks used in mines are cumbersome. They are often used in geographically challenging environments. Thanks to the large number of sensors that Steer integrates into the vehicles, the environment can be recorded very precisely and dangerous situations can be ruled out from the outset. Moreover, the employees who monitor the vehicles are often hundreds of kilometers away. The centralized control of the vehicles also makes ideal use of working time, as employees no longer have to travel to the mine.
The employees who monitor the vehicles are often hundreds of kilometers away.
The employees who monitor the vehicles are often hundreds of kilometers away.
The autonomous vehicles are faster and safer compared to manually operated ones.
