Offroad Autonomy for Heavy Machinery

Autonomy for offroad vehicles and machinery in construction, agriculture, and mining applications

Develop autonomous systems for offroad vehicles and heavy machinery in construction, agriculture, and mining applications with the Robotics System Toolbox™ Offroad Autonomy Library. This support package provides specialized tools for designing, simulating, and testing autonomy algorithms. Through integration with Unreal Engine®, this support package enables photorealistic scenario simulations to test and refine the performance of offroad vehicles, such as dump trucks and backhoes, under diverse conditions.

To download the Robotics System Toolbox Offroad Autonomy Library support package, see Install Robotics System Toolbox Offroad Autonomy Library Support Package.

For more information about using Unreal Engine with Robotics System Toolbox, see High-Fidelity Simulation.

Functions

offroadControllerMPPILocal path planner for offroad vehicles and heavy machinery using MPPI algorithm (Since R2024b)
articulatedSteeringKinematicsArticulated steering vehicle model (Since R2025a)
traversabilityMapCreate traversability map using digital elevation data of terrain (Since R2025a)

Blocks

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Simulation 3D Scene ConfigurationScene configuration for 3D simulation environment
Simulation 3D Physics Dump TruckDump truck physics model in 3D simulation environment (Since R2024a)
Simulation 3D Physics BackhoeBackhoe physics model in 3D simulation environment (Since R2024b)
Simulation 3D LidarLidar sensor model in 3D simulation environment (Since R2024a)
Simulation 3D CameraCamera sensor model with lens in 3D simulation environment (Since R2024a)
Bicycle MPPI ControllerControl motion planning of bicycle vehicle model using Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) (Since R2025a)
Ackermann MPPI ControllerControl motion planning of Ackermann vehicle model using Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) (Since R2025a)
Differential Drive MPPI ControllerControl motion planning of differential drive vehicle model using Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) (Since R2025a)

Scenes

Offroad Pit Mining SceneOffroad pit mining scene in Unreal Engine environment
Construction Site SceneConstruction site scene in Unreal Engine environment

Topics

Reference Applications

Support Package Set Up

Featured Examples

Simulate Earth Moving with Autonomous Excavator in Construction Site

Simulate Earth Moving with Autonomous Excavator in Construction Site

Simulate ground excavation to create a depression and move spoil to dump truck and further relocate it to another site.

Offroad Navigation for Autonomous Haul Trucks in Open Pit Mine

Offroad Navigation for Autonomous Haul Trucks in Open Pit Mine

Series shows how to create a set of planners to enable autonomous haul trucks to navigate uneven terrain and avoid obstacles.

Simulate Construction Vehicles in Unreal Engine for Material Handling

Simulate Construction Vehicles in Unreal Engine for Material Handling

Set up a simulation in which backhoe loads construction bricks into a dump truck in an Unreal Engine construction site scene.

Survey Pit Mining Site with RTK GPS and Point Clouds

Survey Pit Mining Site with RTK GPS and Point Clouds

Generate a digital elevation model (DEM) of a site using real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS and aerial lidar data.

Extract Scene From Lidar Data

Extract Scene From Lidar Data

Create map of environment using point cloud data from lidar sensors mounted on an excavator.

Plan Collision-Free Path for Excavator Arm in MATLAB With Lidar Data

Plan Collision-Free Path for Excavator Arm in MATLAB With Lidar Data

Plan path for excavator arm in environment generated from lidar data.