Develon’s autonomous excavator put to work in real world for first time

Swiss building materials and construction company KIBAG is operating the Develon DX225LC-7X excavator, which uses the AI-powered Real-X system, in a former quarry in Tuggen, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland.

The excavator, which does not have an operator in the cab, is being used as part of a project to restore the quarry fo its natural state.

Site manager, Gabriel Hasler, has tasked the new Develon DX225LC-7X excavator with digging a trench 300 metres long, six metres wide and three metres deep. This is to be filled mainly with rocky material to prevent the foot of a hill from slipping.

While there are not clear regulations in Switzerland for the operation of autonomous construction machinery in public spaces, the machine can be operated autonomously on KIBAG’s private land, supervised by a technical supervisor.

The Real-X machine is an evolution of the Concept-X system unveiled in 2019, which envisaged an unmanned construction site powered by 5G networks, drone surveying, and autonomous machine control.

That was followed by the Concept-X2 extension unveiled in 2023 with an aim to achieve full autonomy by 2030, and then the Real-X intelligent crawler excavator launched at Bauma in Germany in 2025.

Real-X is the result of an agreement between HD XiteSolution (HDX), the holding company of Develon, and Gravis Robotics, which is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH).

KIBAG is operating the Develon DX225LC-7X excavator, which uses the AI-powered Real-X system, in a former quarry in Tuggen, Switzerland (Image: Develon)

Gravis Robotics‘ specialises in developing learning-based control systems as retrofit kits and software that transform machines into fully autonomous robots capable of performing complex tasks.

Develon’s Real-X machine is excavator capable of autonomously carrying out trench excavation, earthworks and truck loading.

Urs Helbling, CEO of AG für Baumaschinen Schmerikon (AGFBS), the Develon dealer in Switzerland, said the shortage of skilled workers is making a machine promising a 30% improvement in performance for trench excavation, earthworks and truck loading, along with a profitability of 100% or more, an attractive investment

Founded in 1926, KIBAG is a family-run business, which employs more than 2,000 people and operates primarily in three business areas: building materials, construction services, and environmental and waste management. It operates 14 gravel pits, three quarries, 25 concrete plants, and 17 construction companies specialising in road construction, civil engineering and specialist sectors.

The company’s fleet comprises 2,000 construction machines of all sizes, 200 of which are replaced annually.

The company is currently investing in electrically powered equipment and is collaborating with various construction machinery manufacturers, although this is its first time working with Develon.