<![CDATA[Gizmodo: caterpillar]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: caterpillar]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/caterpillar http://gizmodo.com/tag/caterpillar <![CDATA[Caterpillar Building 700-Ton, Completely Automatic Mega Dump Truck]]> Gearheads at Carnegie Mellon University are partnering up with tractor-maker Caterpillar to build the world's largest robotic dump truck, a 700-ton ground mover capable of hauling 240 tons of earth. In case you can't wrap your head around that amount, that's like 33 African bull elephants worth of dirt.

The trucks are completely driver-less, and will be used as part of an autonomous mining haulage system Caterpillar's developing with minerals giant BHP Billiton. The Carnegie Mellon folks will be responsible for adapting their auto-drive software, originally developed for DARPA, to the hulking machines. [CMU via Wired]

]]> http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5047723&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Concrete-Jet Printer Gets Caterpillar Funding: Print-Out Houses on the Way]]> Check out this lengthy vid: it shows how one day you may just call-in giant robots to print out a new home based on a CAD model. Research into the concrete-jet printer is being carried out by USC, and their technology can already build up complex concrete structures using technology that's half-CNC machine and half inkjet-like. They've just got funding from Caterpillar to further the research. Amazing stuff, especially when the team says it should be eventually be able to put together a 2,000-square-foot, two storey home in just a day, with all the wiring and plumbing automatically inserted too. Even NASA is interested, as this may be a good solution for building Moonbases. [The Register via Bot Junkie]

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