Centipede

Low impact, high speed

The Centipede project is a collaboration between eight forest companies and the forest machine manufacturer Komatsu Forest. The goal has been to find the sustainable forestry solutions of the future as well as to contribute to operator comfort by means of innovative solutions to make the forest an even more attractive workplace. The result is the Centipede, a concept machine that is currently being thoroughly tested and evaluated to determine whether serial production should begin.

A versatile machine with low impact

The project members have agreed to design a versatile rather than a niche machine, one that fundamentally challenges today’s technology and steps into the future.

The Centipede is designed to traverse various types of terrain with minimal impact and to pass obstacles with ease. The design reduces ground pressure and thereby impact on the forest floor.

Making use of newly developed technology, the machine can also navigate areas where felling usually only takes place in the winter because the ground is otherwise too wet and soft. With the Centipede that ground can be accessed even during the wettest period. This enables the timber supply to be secured all year round.

Increased productivity

In addition to securing the timber supply throughout the year and thereby creating better conditions for profitable harvesting, the Centipede boasts several characteristics that directly enhance productivity.

The innovative design enables the Centipede to navigate the terrain considerably faster. It also permits a heavier load than the Komatsu 855, which has been used as a reference. Both of these characteristics create the conditions for significant increases in productivity.

Moreover, simulations show that the Centipede reduces fuel consumption in soft terrain, benefitting both the environment and profitability.

Good operator comfort for an attractive profession

A forest machine must have a good work environment to ensure the operator’s wellbeing and productivity. This is also a prerequisite for attracting the operators of the future to the industry.

One major challenge is whole-body vibration, and radically reducing this phenomena has been prioritised in development efforts. Reduced vibration enables faster operation as well as greater operator comfort than today’s machines.

Simulations show that the machine achieves the goal to significantly reduce whole-body vibrations – even at higher speeds than those used by today’s machines.

Thorough testing awaits

The Centipede is a concept machine, which means that the machine concept will be thoroughly tested and evaluated before deciding whether the machine will go into serial production.