Manitowoc Cranes will participate in a new project focused on safety of construction workers on job sites. The company will collaborate with the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), High Industries Inc, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Pennsylvania State University, to create a new cyber-physical operation system (CPS) for construction equipment.

NSF has awarded a $650,000 grant to the project that will integrate advances in robotics, computer vision and construction management. The goal is to create tools for the quick and easy planning of crane operations and incorporate them into a safe and efficient system that can monitor a crane?s environment and provide control feedback to the crane and operator. If successful, the new system should have a positive effect on jobsite safety.