Automation and robotics company Xpanner has unveiled its latest device that aids solar project development: Shake-Out, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-guided pile distribution application built for skid-loader operators. Shake-Out replaces manual survey marking and pin hunting with real-time, on-screen guidance, allowing crews to place piles accurately without a dedicated marking team.
On solar construction sites, shake-out sets the pace for the entire pile-driving operation. After a site plan is uploaded to Xpanner Connect and a rugged tablet is mounted to the machine, operators drive straight to GNSS-guided target points using a radar-style guidance lane that provides visual and audio cues as each pile approaches its mark. The system has been field-validated for highly accurate placement, with configurable distance and angle tolerances to meet project-specific requirements.
“The single largest variable in shake-out has always been operator skill,” said Henri Lee, co-founder and CEO of Xpanner. “By turning position-finding, counting, and logging into simple on-screen guidance, Shake-Out improves field productivity while providing real-time progress visibility that enables back-office teams to monitor execution, make informed decisions and manage projects more effectively.”
Shake-Out is designed as a brand-agnostic retrofit that installs on any skid loader with quick mounting and simple calibration, so crews can deploy it across mixed equipment fleets without specialized hardware. Features include real-time machine navigation, color-coded pile visualization, one-tap pile counting and bulk shift logging.
Every pile logged in the field syncs instantly to Xpanner Connect, giving project offices live status on piles placed versus plan, progress by block, row, and pile type, and a clean as-built record, replacing phone calls, spreadsheets, and end-of-day reports with a single live map.
Shake-Out is available now for utility-scale solar contractors.
Xpanner released an excavator-based solar panel installation device, the X1 Panel Lift, earlier this year.
