Timber iQ February - March 2019 // Issue: 42 | Page 35

FEATURES
"Technology will
flow into industry
to help us find
better and safer
ways of doing
business."
Remote tree felling on mountain slopes has been trialled in New Zealand with good success.
ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION
Forestry contractors abroad, in conjunction with local
engineering companies, have really led the charge.
Firstly, a myriad of new designs and operations,
including vision systems for remote operation of
equipment, have been introduced to extract wood safely
off steeper slopes. More recently, tele-operation of wood
extraction has successfully been trialled in New Zealand
where the operator is sitting separately and away from the
felling and log extraction operations. They would be sitting
in an operator’s cabin (on or off site) with live video and
audio feedback from the machine being transmitted back to
the operator. The console with joysticks and pedals (similar
to a gaming setup) is a replica of the layout in the
machinery.
In addition to improving worker safety, this remote
controlled felling technique will change how wood
harvesting is undertaken on steeper terrains. This
opportunity also affords the maximum available space to
be used for plantations as risk through safety and control is
greatly reduced.
Having a similar impact on the wood supply chain are the
rapid advances being made in loading and transporting of
wood. Like remote felling, virtual reality goggles have been
introduced where operators can now work log loading
cranes remotely in the relative safety of the truck cab. The
objective, like remote felling is to develop the technology
so that the operator is out of the truck and operating the
crane remotely from a distance.
“Advancements in robotics and automation for forestry
companies, everything from planting, silviculture, wood
harvesting, extracting the wood from the forest site and
transporting logs to the ports or processing plant are
moving at a fast pace,” says Grant Dodson, chairperson of
the Southern Wood Council (SWC).
www.timberiq.co.za
There are some clear near-future opportunities, including
operating extraction machines such as skidders and
forwarders without an operator. This will not only increase
efficiency, but allow good operators to work on more
complex machines, and provide a unique opportunity for
the way new equipment is designed leading to the
possibility of more intricate work on sites.
Advanced robotic systems are already commonplace in
controlled workspaces such as factories. The future of
wood harvesting and processing systems is most certainly
going to include the robotic element.
Almost everything we experience, from jet engines to
life-like movie monsters, were made by man or machine.
And through the use of cutting-edge technologies, we can
always find the exciting seeds of a future world waiting in
the wings of digital innovation.
Within South Africa, innovation in design-thinking has
evolved across numerous industries. From the film industry,
right through to the art of architecture, South Africans are
truly making their mark and leaving a lasting global
impression for future generations to come.
MODIFYING PROFESSIONAL SPACES
Technology design not only elevates our personal
experience, but also alters our professional experience.
Within South Africa, we are already seeing the rise of
co-working zones occupied by rising start-ups and smaller
work spaces to accommodate the requirement of a flexible
workforce and the gig economy.
The constant technology advances throughout the world
are being developed for this very purpose and companies
and industry will require to keep up with these advances.
Society expands at rapid rates annually and it is therefore
only logically to expect that technology and design will
move together to cater to ‘more, faster and better’ ways
required to fulfil needs.
// FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019 33