US construction machinery manufacturer Caterpillar has said it is working with robotics company FieldAI to bring physical AI and autonomous systems autonomy to construction sites and complex industrial environments.
The companies are combining Caterpillar’s industrial expertise, engineering capabilities and operational data with FieldAI’s AI-enabled robot foundation models, in an attempt to extend automation beyond the controlled environments of conventional production lines.
“The future of our industries will be shaped by how effectively we combine human expertise with AI-powered machines,” said Jaime Mineart, Caterpillar Chief Technology Officer. “Collaborations like this help accelerate the journey. We’re focused on applying AI where it matters most, helping customers improve safety, increase productivity and get more value from every operation.”
Potential applications include autonomous inspections to improve safety and operational visibility, as well as digital twins that can provide real-time insight into equipment, infrastructure and operations.
Caterpillar said the technology could also be used to improve situational awareness, helping identify potential risks earlier, while AI-driven simulation and automation could be used to optimise industrial operations.
“These technologies give our teams greater visibility into how our facilities operate and help us identify opportunities to improve safety, optimise flow and make more informed decisions,” said John Tuntland, Caterpillar Senior Vice President of Integrated Components Division.
Caterpillar said the collaboration forms part of its wider vision for more intelligent manufacturing operations, following its earlier work on the jobsite of the future, which combines connected machines, digital workflows and operational data.
FieldAI was selected for its ability to deploy autonomous systems in complex and dynamic environments. Its robot-agnostic autonomy technology is designed to work across different robotic platforms and tasks, using AI models that combine data-driven learning with physics-based reasoning and uncertainty awareness.
“These are exactly the environments FieldAI excels in, with deployments spanning hundreds of sites worldwide,” said Ali Agha, founder and CEO of FieldAI. “Together, we are shaping the next century of AI-enabled heavy industry.”
The companies will also leverage NVIDIA accelerated computing, NVIDIA Omniverse and high-fidelity digital twins built from operational data.
