At the request of Konoike Transport Co., Ltd., which handles raw material supply operations within a steel plant, I took full managerial responsibility for a remote-control system implementation project for hydraulic excavators used in scrap material handling. My role spanned the entire lifecycle of the initiative—from initial on-site validation through to phased implementation. Given that the excavator attachment used in this operation was magnet-based, its handling differed from conventional hydraulic excavators. As such, particular emphasis was placed on hardware adaptation during the integration of the remote operation system. Furthermore, due to the constant movement of multiple heavy machines operating simultaneously in the work zone, visibility and safety were critical concerns. To address this, we introduced an auxiliary safety system that compensates for the operator’s limited field of vision in remote settings. Specifically, when another piece of equipment comes within a few meters of the remotely operated unit, an alert is triggered via both a warning light and an audible siren installed at the operator’s control station. This system was deployed concurrently with the remote operation setup to ensure a safe and reliable working environment, even under complex operational conditions.

製鉄所内において原料供給業務を実施している鴻池運輸より、廃材処理時に利用している油圧ショベルの遠隔操作プロジェクトにおいて、現場検証から段階的実装に至るまで、一貫してマネジメントを担った。本業務における油圧ショベルのアタッチメントがマグネットタイプであることから、通常の油圧ショベルの操作方法と一部異なる部分が存在し、遠隔操作システム導入時は特にハード面の改良を重視。また、業務中は常に他の重機も縦横無尽に稼働していることから、乗車中であればオペレータ目線で視認できる他重機の接近に対し、遠隔操作時においては自機の半径数メートルに接近した際には、遠隔操作オペレータの手元に設置したパトランプの点灯及びサイレンにて知らせる補助システムについても並行して導入した。