Skidders are an important part of the process chain for fully mechanized timber harvesting. However, forestry service providers are currently facing the challenges of a shortage of qualified machine operators and increasing cost pressure. The latter in particular is also exacerbated by reduced productivity when training new operators.

The aim of this cooperation project is therefore to develop a driver assistance system to partially automate the loading process for forwarders. This will make the very complex task of loading, which also takes up a very large proportion of the machines' working time, easier to perform, especially for inexperienced but also for experienced machine operators, leading to an increase in productivity. Gripping and lifting the log in this phase leads to highly transient torque requirements. In a first step, a control of the working kinematics for a hybrid hydraulic system will be developed to increase productivity and minimize emissions by phlegmatizing the combustion engine. In the next step, an optical environment recognition system is integrated into the assistance system to define and limit the safe working area. This increases the safety of the driver and the environment. Building on this, the third step involves the development of an assistance system for automatically gripping and lifting the tree trunk to be loaded. This is the most complex phase in a loading process, which is why there is a very high potential for increasing productivity here, especially for inexperienced machine operators. After validation of the control and driver assistance system on a demonstrator vehicle under test bench conditions, the system is finally tested in a real working environment.