Research on an Open Source Physical Simulator for Autonomous Construction Machinery Development

Facing a labor shortage, the civil construction industry is increasingly focused on automating machinery. The Public Works Research Institute in Japan has introduced 'OPERA,' an open development platform, to encourage stakeholder participation in areas like IT, robotics, and AI. Key to OPERA is its open-source software for model-based autonomous construction. Currently, it offers two physical simulators with distinct physics engines, enabling user-specific applications. This paper covers their technical differences, and current states.