Xpanner’s Shake-Out app uses GNSS to guide skid-loader operators to planned pile locations
The application replaces manual survey marking and searching for survey pins
Shake-Out is commercially available globally for utility-scale solar contractors, according to the company
Construction technology and robotics startup Xpanner has launched Shake-Out, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-guided pile distribution application for utility-scale solar projects.
In conventional pile distribution, survey crews first mark the planned foundation locations using pins. Skid-loader operators then search for these markers while transporting and distributing piles across the project site. The company says the markers may sometimes be missing, covered by vegetation, or submerged, requiring locations to be surveyed again. Operators also calculate pile positions, quantities, and types manually, while progress updates typically reach the office at the end of the day.
The Shake-Out app replaces this manual marking and pin-location process with real-time guidance displayed on a rugged tablet mounted inside the skid loader. Once the project’s site plan is uploaded to Xpanner Connect, a radar-style guidance lane directs the operator towards each planned pile location through visual and audio cues. The system also allows distance and angle tolerances to be configured according to project requirements.
“The single largest variable in shake-out has always been operator skill,” said Henri Lee, co-founder and CEO of Xpanner. According to Lee, the on-screen interface simplifies position finding, pile counting, and work logging.
The application provides real-time machine navigation, color-coded pile visualization, one-tap pile counting, and bulk shift logging. The recorded field data is synchronized with Xpanner Connect, allowing project teams to compare distributed piles against the site plan and view progress by block, row, and pile type. The platform also creates an as-built record and displays project progress through a live map.
Xpanner says Shake-Out can be retrofitted to skid loaders from different manufacturers and used to stage piles at planned locations before pile installation. According to the company, the app is commercially available for utility-scale solar contractors globally.
