Under a new MoU with UNDP, Kobelco Construction Machinery will begin testing its K-DIVE® remote-operation solution at Ukrainian debris removal sites from October 2026.
Ukraine’s reconstruction effort is creating an urgent operational challenge for the construction equipment sector: how to clear vast volumes of damaged material quickly without putting operators into potentially hazardous environments.
Kobelco Construction Machinery is preparing to test one possible answer. The Japanese manufacturer has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to verify the effectiveness of its K-DIVE® remote-operation solution at debris removal sites in Ukraine, with field testing scheduled to begin in October 2026.
The agreement brings together KCM, its European subsidiary Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME), and UNDP around a practical reconstruction issue. In many affected areas, operators may face health risks linked to asbestos-containing debris, while contractors and public authorities are also dealing with labour shortages and the need to build repeatable, efficient work processes.
That combination makes remote operation increasingly relevant. K-DIVE® combines the remote control of construction machinery with operational data, allowing equipment to be operated from a dedicated cockpit rather than directly from the machine in the working area.
From October 2026, KCM and KCME plan to install construction machinery and K-DIVE® remote-operation cockpits in Ukraine. Working alongside UNDP, the companies will develop operational systems for remote construction work and assess what is needed to create an appropriate working environment around the technology.
The verification programme is expected to examine several practical issues that will determine whether remote operation can be scaled beyond a demonstration phase. These include safety, machine operability and maintenance. Local operators will also receive training on the K-DIVE® system, while operational rules and safety standards will be developed to support the introduction of K-DIVE®.
The initiative follows earlier cooperation between Japan and Ukraine on reconstruction technology. Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established the Japan–Ukraine Platform on the Infrastructure Technology for Recovery and Reconstruction, known as JUPITeR, in January 2025. KCM joined the platform at the ministry’s invitation.
In October 2025, during an MLIT event in Ukraine, KCM demonstrated K-DIVE®. Discussions with UNDP followed, eventually leading to the new MoU and the planned verification programme.
Beyond Ukraine, the project could offer a wider test case for how remotely operated construction machinery fits into recovery work after conflict, natural disasters or industrial incidents. The central question will be whether remote operation can deliver safer, repeatable and commercially workable debris-removal processes in some of the most demanding conditions construction machinery can face.
Read the full article here
