Chelyabinsk Engineers Develop Shape-Shifting Compact Loaders
The new machines come equipped with an onboard computer and touchscreen display.
A team from the Department of Hydraulics at South Ural State University, working with industrial partner NPO Novye Tekhnologii Ekspluatatsii Skvazhin, has developed a family of innovative compact loaders. The machines can weigh material directly in the bucket and are designed to switch roles and adapt to changing conditions.
It Knows What to Do
The loaders were engineered from scratch and equipped with an adaptive control system designed to handle a wide range of tasks. The machines are expected to be used at construction sites, in municipal services, agriculture, landscaping, and other sectors. At the press of a button, a loader can switch functions – for example, transforming into a snow removal vehicle when commanded to operate as a snow blower. Even without manual input, the system can determine what task it needs to perform. It can also assess snow density to optimize performance.
The capabilities extend further. The loaders feature an integrated system for measuring the mass of material in the bucket, particularly useful when loading bulk materials into a truck that must be weighed. The weighing system can be integrated with enterprise accounting software, simplifying workflows at bulk material storage facilities.
Snow Blower, Bucket, Concrete Mixer, and Mower
Another advantage is intelligent hydraulic optimization. The system reduces thermal load on the hydraulic circuit by nearly half, improves overall machine efficiency, and lowers specific fuel consumption. Travel speed and productivity have also been enhanced.
The new machines are equipped with an onboard computer featuring a touchscreen interface. More than 50 types of attachments are available, including a milling-rotary snow blower, blade, bucket, concrete mixer, mulcher, mower, auger, and more. The loader measures 2.6 meters in length, 1.4 meters in height, and 1.1 meters in chassis width. It weighs 1.25 metric tons without attachments. A smaller version weighing 0.7 metric tons is also available for small-scale farms.
Earlier, we reported that ground-based snow-clearing drones began testing in Kazan. The robots have already proven effective, with two units performing the work of 20 people.
