¶ Remote Piloting TechModellogy
| Company | Kodama Systems |
| Country | USA |
| Website | https://kodama.ai/ |
| Category | Harvesting & Extraction › Remote sensing & mapping |
¶ Overview
Remote piloting technology in forestry refers to the suite of systems, communications infrastructure, and control interfaces that allow an operator to guide vehicles, aircraft, or machinery from a location physically separate from the equipment — ranging from a few metres away to multiple kilometres via telemetry links. In a forestry context, this encompasses remotely operated harvesters and forwarders, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly called drones), and tethered or radio-controlled cable machinery. The underlying technologies typically combine real-time video feeds from onboard cameras, radio or cellular communications for command-and-control signals, sensor suites (LiDAR, IMU, GPS) for situational awareness, and ruggedised human-machine interfaces. Remote piloting differs from full autonomy in that a human operator remains in the decision loop and actively directs the equipment, though the operator need not be co-located with the machine. This distinction is important for regulatory compliance — particularly under Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules for RPAS, and under state-based Work Health and Safety legislation for ground vehicles. In forestry, remote piloting addresses several operational challenges: it removes operators from hazardous environments such as steep slopes, areas under risk of windthrow, or zones with falling debris; it reduces fatigue by allowing ergonomic workstation setups; and it enables a single skilled operator to oversee multiple machines in sequence. Australian forestry enterprises and research institutions including the Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) network have investigated remote piloting for precision silviculture, fire-boundary scouting, and coupe assessment. As telecommunications infrastructure — including low-earth-orbit satellite broadband — improves in rural and remote Australia, the operational range and reliability of remote piloting systems for forestry applications continues to expand.
¶ Assessment
Enhances operational efficiency and meaningfully improves safety by keeping operators out of hazardous environments, though direct productivity gains are moderate.
¶ Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Kodama Systems |
| Country | USA |
| Type | Company |
| Employees | works closely with Weiler |
| FWPA RD&E | 4.1 |
| Case Studies | https://forestnet.com/putting-forestry-equipment-on-autopilot/ |