Can one imagine an excavator that does not have to slew to move material?
The productivity limitation of a standard excavator used for shovelling material is that it needs to fill the bucket, and then slew to place the material onto a truck, and then slew the bucket back to the digging position. This is dead time and consumes fuel. The Hercules concept excavator makes use of a continuous rotary cutting head to dig into material. The cutting head rotates and moves in three dimensions. The material is drawn inwards by cutting blades and then moved through the booms via internal augers. A conveyor belt then transfers the material to the receiving vehicle behind the excavator.
The excavator utilises a plug-in hybrid electric system in conjunction with a conventional engine. Batteries store energy from the engine that would have otherwise been wasted. The batteries can also be charged through the grid where available. An all-electric system of actuators and motors improves efficiencies and reduces maintenance costs compared to the more common high-pressure hydraulic equivalents. There is no need for any hydraulic oil.
The Hercules also has a mobile detachable cab for safety. Because no slewing takes place, it is well suited to confined spaces. It also uses pre-excavation ground-penetrating radars. Obstructions can therefore be identified and removed from the excavation area. An intelligent control unit identifies the most efficient map of excavation. Source: http://concepthercules.com/