At the request of ARAV Inc., a company providing remote control and automation solutions for construction machinery, we developed “KenSIM,” an operation training simulator for hydraulic excavators, on a contract basis.
The system is a training platform that lets users learn the basic operation of construction machinery safely and repeatedly with a simple setup of a PC and a gamepad. We implemented physics simulation using Unity 6 and tuning features that reproduce an operating feel close to that of real machines.
Challenges
In the construction industry, remote control and autonomous driving of construction machinery are being introduced to reduce manpower and automate work on site. On the other hand, the environment for training operators who can master these technologies faced the following challenges:
- Training with real machines requires securing construction machinery and a large training site.
- Real-machine training carries the risk of accidents and equipment damage from collisions and operating errors.
- Opportunities for repeated practice are limited because training depends on weather and site operating conditions.
- Without large dedicated facilities, training is not possible, and there is no training environment that can be used casually within an office.
- Existing training environments lack the extensibility to be leveraged for future remote control and autonomous driving development.
Solution
Based on ARAV Inc.’s concept and requirements, we developed “KenSIM,” a simulator specialized for hydraulic excavator operation training.
Using Unity 6, we reproduced excavator motion, contact with soil, and collisions with vehicles in a virtual space. By making the system usable with only a PC and a gamepad, we created a system that does not require large dedicated facilities and is easy to introduce into offices and training facilities.
The main development items are as follows:
- Simulation of excavation, slewing, and loading operations of a hydraulic excavator
- Construction of a practical training environment with a cockpit viewpoint
- Lightweight physics simulation that runs smoothly even on laptops
- Scoring feature using metrics such as the number of collisions and work time
- Penalty feature for collisions and operating errors
- Input gain adjustment feature for each operation axis
- Tuning of the operating feel according to the machine type and the operator’s proficiency
- Design that anticipates expansion to ROS integration and sensor outputs such as LiDAR, IMU, GNSS, and RGB cameras
Results
“KenSIM” was exhibited at the 8th International Construction and Survey Productivity Improvement Expo (CSPI-EXPO 2026), where professionals in the construction industry were invited to try it hands-on. At the exhibition, we received positive feedback such as “The operating feel is close to that of a real machine,” “We would like to actually introduce it as a simulator,” and “We hope it will also support construction machinery other than hydraulic excavators,” among other positive comments.
Through the development of this system, we realized an environment in which the basic operation of construction machinery can be trained on a PC without preparing real machines or a dedicated training site. In a virtual space, even if a collision or operating error occurs, no people or real machines are put at risk, so trainees can repeat the same operations as many times as they like without fearing failure.
By incorporating intuitive operation with a gamepad and a scoring feature, we built a mechanism that supports the acquisition of operating skills and safety awareness while keeping the barrier to participating in training low. Furthermore, beyond serving as a training simulator, the system is designed with the extensibility to be used in the future for the development and verification of autonomous driving algorithms by integrating with ROS and various virtual sensors.