A work site equipment grouping system includes a plurality of work machines including a first work machine and a second work machine. Each work machine is configured to wirelessly communicate with other work machines. The system further includes a local area network including a plurality of communicatively connected nodes, the nodes including the first work machine and the second work machine. The system further includes a third work machine configured to detect one of the first work machine or the second work machine within a signal range of the third work machine and, upon detecting one of the first work machine or the second work machine, automatically join the local area network.

A transport device includes rollable elements configured to both support and move the transport device on a surface; and a drive mechanism for driving the rollable elements. A load bearing mechanism is movable between a lowered position adjacent to the surface and at least one raised position, and is supported by a support frame having a front wall, two side walls and an open back. The load bearing mechanism is mounted such that the side walls and front wall of the support frame extend around the load bearing mechanism. An actuator is mounted on one of the walls of the support frame for controllably raising and lowering the load bearing mechanism and the rollable elements are mounted adjacent to the side walls of the support frame and support the two side walls at four locations, such that a center of gravity is between the four locations.

A transport device includes rollable elements configured to both support and move the transport device on a surface; and a drive mechanism for driving the rollable elements. A load bearing mechanism is movable between a lowered position adjacent to the surface and at least one raised position, and is supported by a support frame having a front wall, two side walls and an open back. The load bearing mechanism is mounted such that the side walls and front wall of the support frame extend around the load bearing mechanism. An actuator is mounted on one of the walls of the support frame for controllably raising and lowering the load bearing mechanism and the rollable elements are mounted adjacent to the side walls of the support frame and support the two side walls at four locations, such that a center of gravity is between the four locations.

A method and apparatus for rapid loading stacks of items aboard vessels which can include rotating palletized items to depalletize the items, and then placing the items on a lifting robot, lifting the robot and items into the hold of a vessel, removing the items from the robot using a load push lift truck, and then using the load push lift truck to stow the items in a stowage location. The empty robot can be removed from the hold of the vessel and put in a position to receive a another depalletized stack of cartons. In one option the robot has a plurality of fork channels for receiving the blades of a load push lift truck along with receiving the blades or a rotating lift truck.

A machine localization system includes a work machine including an extendable implement, a first pressure sensor coupled to the work machine, a second pressure sensor located at a known elevation, and a computing system operably coupled to the work machine, the first pressure sensor, and the second pressure sensor. The computing system is configured to receive a first pressure measurement from the first pressure sensor and a second pressure measurement from the second pressure sensor, determine a maximum operating height of the extendable implement based on a difference between the first pressure measurement and the second pressure measurement, and configure the extendable implement to not exceed the maximum operating height.

A machine localization system includes a work machine including an extendable implement, a first pressure sensor coupled to the work machine, a second pressure sensor located at a known elevation, and a computing system operably coupled to the work machine, the first pressure sensor, and the second pressure sensor. The computing system is configured to receive a first pressure measurement from the first pressure sensor and a second pressure measurement from the second pressure sensor, determine a maximum operating height of the extendable implement based on a difference between the first pressure measurement and the second pressure measurement, and configure the extendable implement to not exceed the maximum operating height.

A teleoperated robotic system that includes master control arms, slave arms, and a mobile platform. In use, a user manipulates the master control arms to control movement of the slave arms. The teleoperated robotic system can include two master control arms and two slave arms. The master control arms and the slave arms can be mounted on the platform. The platform can provide support for the master control arms and for a teleoperator, or user, of the robotic system. Thus, a mobile platform can allow the robotic system to be moved from place to place to locate the slave arms in a position for use. Additionally, the user can be positioned on the platform, such that the user can see and hear, directly, the slave arms and the workspace in which the slave arms operate.

Apparatus for installing a solar panel array in parallel rows on panel support structure, as for solar farms, including a lift-and-place vehicle with characterizing features for moving between and along rows of support structure. Such vehicle includes a driven ground-engaging base, a lifting mast extending upwardly and in a fore/aft direction to define a panel-loading space therebeneath, a liftable trolley beam secured to the mast over the panel-loading space and extending laterally between adjacent rows, a traversing trolley movable along the beam, and a panel-placing carrier suspended from the trolley for up/down and lateral movement of carried panels. A panel-pallet vehicle is hitched to the lift-and-place vehicle, extends under the panel-loading space, and has a pallet carrier adjacent to the panel-loading space. Preferred embodiments include telescoping, tilting and angle adjustment of the mast, and the panel-placing carrier has panel supports movable between panel supporting and releasing orientations, and wireless control.

An installation for sorting postal parcels or packets, has a carousel sorting conveyor having transport bins that are moved around a closed loop over a plurality of sorting outlets formed by respective storage receptacles, a feed magazine in which bulk stored parcels are put into series and then injected into the transport bins of the conveyor while it is moving, and a monitoring and control unit that acts on the bins of the sorting conveyor so as to open each of them over a receptacle that corresponds to a delivery address of the article following a sorting plan, includes a first sorting pass to sort parcels into first receptacles that are of high bulk storage capacity, and a subsequent sorting pass where the parcels are sorted into second receptacles that are smaller than the first receptacles.

An installation for sorting postal parcels or packets, has a carousel sorting conveyor having transport bins that are moved around a closed loop over a plurality of sorting outlets formed by respective storage receptacles, a feed magazine in which bulk stored parcels are put into series and then injected into the transport bins of the conveyor while it is moving, and a monitoring and control unit that acts on the bins of the sorting conveyor so as to open each of them over a receptacle that corresponds to a delivery address of the article following a sorting plan, includes a first sorting pass to sort parcels into first receptacles that are of high bulk storage capacity, and a subsequent sorting pass where the parcels are sorted into second receptacles that are smaller than the first receptacles.