Teleo autonomous technology customer, dealer agreements

An operator controlling two John Deere 333G compact track loaders in Northern California, switching between remote operation and autonomy. (Photo: Teleo)

Teleo, which builds autonomous technology for heavy construction equipment, announced it has signed agreements with three North American construction customers plus is expanding its dealer partner network in the U.S., Europe and Canada.

The Teleo Supervised Autonomy system enables remote and semi-autonomous operations of any make and model of heavy construction equipment, the company said. The system includes:

• the company’s proprietary software,
• a universal retrofit kit customized for any machine,
• a remote command center to operate the equipment,
• and a robust mesh network, which offers connectivity on site so the command center can communicate with the machine.

The rugged universal retrofit kit incorporates sensors such as high dynamic range cameras that are capable of offering high-definition visibility and video footage, day and night. Once a machine is retrofit with the technology, a skilled operator can control multiple machines at multiple sites from a single station.

A 2012 Caterpillar D10T dozer retrofitted with the Teleo kit on top at Teichert’s site in Tracy, Calif. (Photo: Telo)

Autonomy in action

Telo works directly with contractors to identify the best use cases for the Teleo Supervised Autonomy system and handles everything from operator training to network implementation, the company said. It recently signed agreements with construction companies Tomahawk, Teichert and John Aarts Group, to implement the technology at varying levels in their operations.

Florida-based excavation and site development company Tomahawk is partnering with Teleo to deploy the technology on 12 articulated dump trucks for land development of residential subdivisions, a retirement community and commercial businesses. Remote operations are expected to begin in Summer 2023 with two machines in Naples, Fla., and Tomahawk will transition to semi-autonomous operations later this year.

Teichert, a California construction and materials company, has been working with Teleo to retrofit two crawler dozers. The first machine, a 2012 Caterpillar D10T dozer, was already delivered to Teichert in the summer of 2022. The second, a 2022 Caterpillar D10T2 dozer, will be deployed on site for work at the company’s sand and gravel mine near Tracy, Calif., in Q2 of 2023. Teichert will be the first customer to use Teleo Supervised Autonomy in night operations.

A 2022 Caterpillar D10T2 dozer with the Teleo retrofit on top at Teichert’s site in Tracy, Calif. (Photo: Teleo)

John Aarts Group, one of Canada’s largest integrated construction services companies, will be the first company to leverage remote operations to load a concrete plant, Teleo said. A John Deere 624K wheel loader will be retrofit with Teleo’s technology to remotely load and unload materials in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, starting in Q2 2023.

Dealer network expansion

In addition to new customers, Teleo announced the expansion of its dealer partner network with the addition of:

• Dobbs Positioning Solutions, a Topcon dealer and the technology division of Dobbs Equipment, a full-service John Deere and Wirtgen Group dealership serving Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
• RDO Equipment, a total solutions provider with more than 75 locations across the Midwest, Texas and Southern California.
• SMS Equipment, one of the largest global Komatsu dealers with a network of business centers across Canada, Alaska and Mongolia supporting heavy equipment sales, parts, service and advanced technology solutions in the construction, mining, and forestry industries.
• SR-O Technology, the technology and system integration business unit of Suomen Rakennuskone Oy, which provides provides holistic smart technology solutions and services across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Teleo will be demonstrating its technology in Las Vegas at ConExpo-ConAgg, March 14-18, in booth D3801 in the Diamond Lot. Its exhibit will include two remote operation stations. One station will control an on-site skid-steer loader and the other will control a skid-steer located at a site in northern California. 

In addition, Teleo plans to launch semi-autonomous operations later this year as an addition to the current remote operation offering.