About us - RMV

ABOUT US

About RMV

We Provide The Best Service for the Modern Industry

Robotic Maintenance Vehicles (RMV) began with a concept from Pioneer Industrial Systems (PIS) to provide safer work zones for our nation’s highway maintenance crews. The concern was recognized by the president of PIS, when he noticed how dangerous crack sealing and other basic road maintenance tasks are. To bring this concept to life, we have integrated a FANUC robot onto a truck chassis, equipped with components that create a more efficient form of work. RMV performs faster and more accurate maintenance, reducing the amount of equipment and labor needed, conserving material and money, and keeping roadworkers out of harm’s way.

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FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

What is the difference between RMV and Robotic Crack Sealer?

RMV is short for Robotic Maintenance Vehicles, which is a modular platform for robotic road maintenance solutions. The Robotic Crack Sealer is the first module available for the RMV, with future maintenance modules in development.

What kind of maintenance is required for the Robotic Crack Sealer?

Minimal maintenance, by design we sourced dependable pipeline inventory components to withstand the elements.

Preventative maintenance?

Annually, flush robot grease and replace controller batteries, vision system calibration, and check major components. Routinely replace worn parts, hoses, nozzles, filters, oils, as needed.

Component replacement?

System components are stocked for overnight shipment in the US. We provide a recommended spare parts list to stock, along with a wearable items list to keep on the truck (steel puck, plastic drop sleeves, duckbills)

How often do I need to add sealant?

Just as a standard tow-behind CrackPro, a sufficient sealant level will need to be maintained for proper use; the frequency of adding material to the kettle will depend on the amount of material dispensed.

What is the size and weight of the Robotic Crack Sealer? Is a CDL required to operate?

The RMV is on a class–7 medium–duty truck chassis with airbrakes, therefore a class A CDL is required in most states.

What is the speed of the Robotic Crack Sealer?

Speed is dependent on crack size and density of cracks – every surface is different. The Robotic Crack Sealer is comparable in speed to a single wand manual crew operation. The advantage of our system is that it can operate around the clock with a single operator and the robot does not require breaks.

How difficult is it to operate the Robotic Crack Sealer? Does it require special training?

The RMV was designed with usability in mind, anyone that can safely operate a medium-duty truck can effectively and efficiently operate the RMV. A two–day training session is included with the purchase but can be run with 1-2 hours of instruction.

Does the Robotic Crack Sealer come with a warranty?

A 1-year warranty on all system components is included with a purchase or lease. Extended warranties are available for purchase.

Does the lease or purchase come with a service agreement?

The warranty covers all main system components (robot, vision system, CrackPro, generator, air blow-off, electrical). Full parts and labor in addition to annual inspection, calibration, and robot re-grease are included with extended warranties.

The truck chassis is not covered under the RMV warranty – please refer to the truck OEM warranty.

What are the advantages of the Robotic Crack Sealer over the manual method?

Safety
Reduced Labor
Material Savings
Improved Quality
Reduced Equipment Needs
Data Collection

The RMV was designed with safety as the priority, removing the exposed workers from the dangers of the roads. In parallel, there is a substantial reduction in labor compared to a traditional manual crew. The labor shortage has impacted all industries, especially those labor-intensive and menial applications that most workers are unwilling to perform. All the components needed for crack sealing have been integrated into the Robotic Crack Sealer, reducing the number of vehicles and equipment that are traditionally needed. Implementing automation removes human error and inconsistencies between operators – improving overall quality. Preset parameters can be determined to filter out cracks that do not fall within the size range specifications (ex: 1/8”- 1” crack width), along with calculating volume to dispense the correct amount of material based on crack size. Traditional methods of measuring a sample size to estimate lineal feet of cracks and material needed per lane mile are inconvenient and often inaccurate. The industry has been starved of this vital data that can tell us a lot about our roads. We are collecting essential metrics like – Lineal Feet of Cracks Sealed, Distance Traveled, Pounds of Material Dispensed, Duration Sealed, along with GPS locations.

What are the lane widths the Robotic Crack Sealer is capable of?

The lane width is adjustable from 1 ft min – 12 ft max. Good for centerline coverage of full lane widths.

Can the Robotic Crack Sealer be used for parking lots?

Yes, it performs especially well in large parking lots where we performed much of our early R&D. An optional manual dual wand is offered, to get in those tight-to-reach places like inside corners of parking lots. The Robotic Crack Sealer can be used for any asphalt or concrete surface where crack sealing would be appropriate.

How does data reporting work?

The metrics being measured, calculated, and collected are sent from the truck once the sealing cycle has been completed via a 4G phone card, which can be accessed by a user-friendly dashboard and app.

What is the average life of the robot?

FANUC robots have a typical lifespan of 100,000 hours and have been tried and tested in harsh manufacturing conditions for decades – from extreme temperatures to toxic environments, often in continuous operation around the clock.

What happens if the generator stops working and the system loses power?

Stateline diesel generator has a staggering 18KW 480V 3ph 23amp output, efficiently powering all the onboard electrical components. We recommend contacting us for any system component failures, under warranty we will expedite the replacement part to minimize downtime. 24/7 tech support is available to help solve any issues that may occur. I was thinking more like, there is a method to disconnect the brakes on the robot, pull the robot into a safe position, reengage the brakes, return to the shop for further troubleshooting per the operating manual, and call our 1-800 service number.

How does the Robotic Crack Sealer AI (Artificial Intelligence) work?

The vision system utilizes AI by recognizing other objects that you do not want to seal – maintenance hole covers, storm drains, grates and even potholes and alligator cracking that will require more attention. This involves an ongoing deep machine–learning process.

Can my truck be upfitted with a Robotic Crack Sealer?

A medium-duty truck chassis must meet certain requirements such as a class 7 chassis with air ride suspension.

How many operators are needed for the RMV?

You will need a driver that controls and monitors the operation from an in-the-cab control panel. An optional tender could be used on the deck to feed the blocks into the melting kettle.

Does the RMV operate at night?

Yes, the equipment operates in the dark and can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How are blocks of material added to the sealant kettle?

Same as a manual unit, hand loaded at the top of the kettle on the deck of the RMV.

Can the RMV spray detack after applying the sealant?

You could add a spray wand with nozzles across the back of the robot safety gates. We are considering adding this as an option in the future, along with additional auxiliary operations that align with crack sealing.

How do all the components get software updates?

Just as data can be uploaded from the truck, software updates can be downloaded from RMV engineering to individual trucks via the 4G card. So, as we learn more from the data collected, we can continue to improve the operation of the vehicles through software enhancements and downloads.

What is the RMV’s Generator rated for?

The 480 3-Phase generator on the RMV is rated at 18Kw 26Amps.

What is the CFM of the RMV’s blow-off system?

The blow-off system on the RMV has a max CFM of 1600. This equates to 30CFM per nozzle.

How much fuel does the RMV use in a day?

The RMV uses 3.7 GPH on average. For an 8 hr shift, you are looking at using 29 gallons of fuel.

What is the average MPG of the RMV during travel?

The RMV gets between 6.5MPG and 7MPG at highway speed.

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