"Road construction has a complexity problem. Getting a stretch of road built in a remote region, a disaster zone, or difficult terrain typically means coordinating multiple heavy machines, multiple skilled operators, and a logistical chain that can collapse at any point. Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou, two designers from Shandong University of Art and Design, spent several months in 2024 working on a concept that treats all of that complexity as a design challenge worth solving from scratch."
"The result is PaveLink, an autonomous modular road-building system that arrives as a single articulated electric train and deploys into a coordinated fleet of AI-guided construction robots on site. One system. One delivery. A drone overhead, autonomous modules on the ground, and an intelligent command hub managing all of it in real time. The truck head is a blocky, panoramic-windshield command center with a drone launch platform built right into the roof."
PaveLink is an autonomous modular road-building system delivered as a single articulated electric train that deploys into a coordinated fleet of AI-guided construction robots. A rooftop drone launches first to map terrain with aerial sensors and streams data back in real time to a panoramic-windshield command cab. Four detachable unit types—front-loader, excavator arm, grader, and heavy steel drum compactor—operate like insectoid modules across rugged wheels. All modules remain tethered to the spine and function in coordinated parallel under an intelligent command hub, replacing multi-operator crews and reducing staging complexity in remote, disaster, and difficult terrains.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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