Volvo futuristic wheel loader to hit stores soon

LEGO fans rejoice! The company has announced the launch of its new Technic ZEUX wheel loader set developed in collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment that will hit stores in August 2018. However, the companies are hoping what may be toy sized now could very well be a real-world machine in the future.

It all started out in 2016 when the design teams from LEGO Technic and Volvo CE came together in an informal team building event to come up with an idea for a LEGO Technic product. Their goal was to design construction machines of the future.

With the help of a team of creative children, LEGO and Volvo CE eventually turned the idea into an actual product – the ZEUX wheel loader. However, the end result of the collaboration was more than just a toy set – the ZEUX could contain a number of potentially revolutionary patents and is now the digital prototype for a real-world autonomous machine.

“We wanted to cooperate with a premium toy manufacturer, just as we are a premium player in the construction equipment sector,” said Volvo CE Global Communication Strategy Manager, Arvind Rinaldo.

“Volvo CE and the LEGO Group together create a perfect match, both culturally and in what we try to achieve in our products – exploring together how we can build tomorrow.”

He said the partnership has allowed both companies to test ideas for future construction machines in terms of functionality, scale, design and interaction.

“This model may seem futuristic now, but autonomous, connected and electric construction machines are already starting to be a reality,” he said.

“The Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX is a realistic next step in the exciting evolution of our construction machines.”

A focus group consisting of children helped out in the process of creating the ZEUX. Looking at early drawings and models, the group gave feedback that led to the development of new, unique features.

Two main features that the group decided on were the scout drone and the adjustable ‘camera’ boom mounted on the roof of the vehicle, called the Eye. In addition to the scout drones and built-in sensors a real-life model would have, the Eye illustrates a new and inventive feature - it will show exactly where the vehicle’s ‘attention’ is directed, which means it can make ‘eye contact’ with humans and acknowledge their presence.

LEGO Group’s Senior Design Manager, Andrew Woodman, used the action of crossing the road to illustrate the importance of eye contact in a real world situation.

“When you cross a busy road, you watch out for dangers and try to make eye contact with drivers in your immediate vicinity. It’s an instinctive reaction that lets you evaluate your next move,” he said.

“With autonomous vehicles, you don’t have that interaction because you can’t see all the sensors that allow them to navigate around both stationary and moving objects. It’s not intuitive for us to decode what the vehicle’s next move is, where it’s going, or if it has seen us.

“While the Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX will not be driving on roads, it would be interacting with workers at a construction site. So we set out to create features and functions that make the interaction between humans and machines as safe and intuitive as possible.”

One of LEGO Technic’s core design values is the ‘AFC promise’, which stands for ‘Authenticity, Functionality and Challenging building’. Models have to look as close to their real-life counterparts as possible, be fun to play with, and inspire builders to try new building techniques.

To make the ZEUX model fit with the Authenticity promise, LEGO and Volvo CE held video meetings and workshops to exchange concept sketches and sketch models as well as test all sorts of wild ideas throughout the development process.

As a result, users can see plenty of authentic yet interesting features like an extendable counterweight, raising and lowering chassis, 4-wheel steering and many other ideas that fit all design values.

“Volvo CE and the LEGO Group share the same values when it comes to our requirements for quality and usability, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of creativity and functionality,” Woodman said.

“It has been very motivating helping Volvo CE to develop what could be the future of construction machines.”

Some features of the LEGO Volvo concept wheel loader ZEUX: