Sakai has enhanced the safety of its Guardman automatic braking system with the introduction of a new Echelon Mode for its SW884 and SW994 highway-class asphalt rollers. This mode is specifically designed to prevent collisions between rollers, workers, and obstacles during echelon compaction operations, where machines move in a staggered, offset formation. Depending on the model, the Guardman system uses either millimeter-wave radar or 3D LiDAR to detect potential hazards.
The newly added Echelon Mode refines the system’s response by reducing unnecessary braking while still ensuring automatic stops when an actual threat is detected. Operators can easily activate the mode with a single button press, and the system is designed to minimize false alarms. One notable upgrade is the improved display that shows the operator of the following roller their distance from the lead roller, helping maintain safe spacing.
Sakai Boosts Roller Safety With New Echelon Mode for Guardman Braking SystemEnhanced Detection And Real-Time Feedback Improve Safety, Efficiency On Sakai’s Top Rollers
This real-time proximity feedback allows operators to make preemptive adjustments during operation, enhancing safety and improving workflow efficiency by avoiding abrupt or unneeded braking. While the Guardman system can detect personnel and obstacles behind eight different Sakai roller models, only the SW884 and SW994 models feature front-facing object detection capabilities.
Sakai’s SW884ND roller, the first U.S.-built model equipped with the Guardman system, was introduced at the 2024 World of Asphalt event. Despite its technological advancements, Sakai experienced a drop in the number of financed used roller sales in 2024 compared to the previous year, though it still ranked fifth in the U.S., according to data from EDA.