Sensing, perception, decision, planning and action of autonomous excavators

A significant advancement in automated driving technology and the deployment of it have noticeably increased the safety of humans in transportation, industry, and the construction field in the last several decades. As a result, the automated driving technology of an autonomous excavator has become a hot topic among researchers. This study provides the findings of a systematic review of the literature on automated driving and working systems of autonomous excavators published in the last two decades. This paper divides the autonomous system into five groups, namely sensing, perception, decision, planning, and action, and presents research gaps that are not yet well studied for each group. Furthermore, the review of publications presented in this paper is conducted with the aim of highlighting key challenges and contributions of the previous and ongoing research work in this field. Finally, the paper is concluded and provides a direction for future work in this area. • A quantitative and qualitative analysis of research papers in the field of autonomous excavators is conducted. • An automated driving and working systems have been divided into five groups: sensing, perception, decision, planning, and action. • Key references in autonomous excavators' field are identified, and its objectives are highlighted. • Key challenges in the field of autonomous excavators are discussed and possible future directions are highlighted.