Burkhard Boeckem shares how autonomous, on-device intelligence is changing the way in which surveyors work, improving accuracy, speed, and project resilience
To begin, could you share details of your career history and how you came to be in your current role?
After completing my PhD at ETH Zürich, I joined Leica Geosystems as a project manager, a company that later became part of Hexagon. In that role, I gained first-hand experience of how advanced technologies and global innovation can transform a long-established industry and set the foundation for my passion for precision and progress.
That experience sparked a lasting interest in how technology can help people work with greater accuracy and purpose. My background in geodesy – the science of surveying and measurement technology – showed me how deeply accuracy shapes progress in the real world, and how innovation builds on that foundation. Over time, this evolved into a fascination with how autonomy, data, and intelligence are redefining the way we design, build, and operate.
Now at Hexagon, I lead innovation across the company’s measurement and automation solutions, advancing technologies that help engineers, surveyors, and construction professionals work more efficiently, safely, and accurately in complex environments.
Hexagon has been at the forefront of digital transformation in construction. How would you describe the moment we’re in right now for the industry?
We’re at an inflexion point where digital tools are starting to think for themselves. Until recently, construction technology focused on collecting and storing data, now, it can interpret that data and act on it in real time.
As such, instruments are evolving from passive tools into active partners on-site. For example, the Leica TS20 Robotic Total Station uses an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to streamline targeting and measurement workflows, reducing manual steps and helping surveyors maintain consistent accuracy even in challenging environments.
This shift toward intelligent autonomy means projects can adapt faster, verify work continuously, and reduce costly rework, changing the way teams plan, execute, and manage every stage of a build.
From your perspective, what’s driving the push toward smarter, more connected instruments on-site?
The demands for faster delivery, tighter budgets, and higher sustainability expectations are rising, all while the skilled workforce continues to shrink. Smarter, connected instruments help bridge that gap by taking on repetitive tasks, reducing rework, and keeping every data point accurate from start to finish.
When data remains consistent and traceable, everyone, from the surveyors on-site to engineers and project managers in the office, can make decisions based on the same information. That consistency builds trust, prevents costly errors, and keeps projects moving even when conditions change. This demonstrates how connectivity strengthens efficiency while reinforcing the sector’s capacity to adapt and recover.
Why is processing data directly on-site such a game-changer for infrastructure projects and how do you balance that real-time AI performance with data privacy and security?
It starts with a simple principle: keep control close to the source. With the TS20, on-device processing is enhanced by the integrated NPU, which enables faster interpretation of measurement data, supports autonomous optimisation of workflows, and reduces the potential for errors. Processing data on the instrument helps maintain efficiency in low-connectivity environments while ensuring that sensitive project data stays within the device’s secure architecture.
When intelligence sits directly on-site in this way, teams can spot and fix problems as they happen, before small errors turn into costly rework. It also reduces dependency on external networks, which is essential for working efficiently in remote or infrastructure-heavy environments.
And in places where connectivity isn’t always available or reliable, such as in tunnels or on remote sites, local processing keeps work going uninterrupted. Simply put, you don’t lose accuracy when you lose signal.
With edge AI built into the TS20, surveyors get the best of both worlds: instant, on-site intelligence and robust data security. Decisions happen where the work happens, ensuring faster insights, safer operations, and complete control over every measurement, all while preserving customer trust through secure, local data handling.
How did the idea of bringing AI directly into a total station first come about, and what problem were you trying to solve?
We know that a typical challenge across the industry is that surveyors and engineers need instruments that can act intelligently on their own. So, we asked: what if more of the instrument’s processing could happen directly on-site, reducing manual steps and keeping performance consistent regardless of connectivity?
By embedding AI directly into the total station, we enabled it to process measurement data internally, optimise targeting and tracking behaviour, and support stable performance in demanding field conditions. This reduces manual adjustments and helps teams focus more on high-value tasks rather than troubleshooting.
This shift from cloud-dependent intelligence to edge AI means instruments can make decisions right where the data is captured. This is at the edge, in the field, without waiting for a connection. The result is faster response times, higher resilience, and greater confidence that every measurement is right, right away.
By thinking locally and acting instantly, edge AI allows total stations to keep teams focused on progress, not troubleshooting.
Where will edge AI deliver the biggest gains: speed, accuracy, or safety?
All three matter, but accuracy delivers the biggest gain. When your measurements are precise from the start, everything else, including speed and safety, improves as a result. Edge AI helps maintain that accuracy automatically by interpreting live sensor data and refining how the instrument detects and measures targets, so teams can trust every decision they make.
That consistency eliminates rework, keeps projects moving faster, and reduces the likelihood of errors that could create safety risks. In short, precision is the foundation
What can the TS20’s NPU do that traditional total stations couldn’t?
The TS20’s NPU accelerates on-device data processing and supports automated optimisation of measurement workflows. Rather than relying on external systems, the NPU helps refine targeting behaviour, maintain consistent tracking, and reduce manual corrections, especially in complex or dynamic site conditions.
Because the NPU processes information directly within the instrument, it enables more stable and efficient operation in environments where connectivity is limited or conditions are demanding. Over time, it supports smarter, more resilient workflows by helping surveyors reduce errors and maintain productivity in the field.
What’s more, the NPU allows the TS20 to process measurement data quickly and consistently on the instrument, supporting more stable and reliable performance across varying site conditions. By reducing manual interventions and optimising workflows, it helps surveyors maintain productivity and accuracy even in challenging environments. This represents meaningful innovation: an instrument engineered to deliver dependable results and streamline field operations through intelligent, on-device processing.
As instruments get smarter, how will the role of the surveyor evolve?
The surveyor’s role is evolving from data collection to decision-making. AI and automation handle repetitive measurements, while professionals focus on interpretation, validation, and solving complex challenges.
As such, we’re not replacing expertise but amplifying it. The next generation of surveyors will be both analytical and strategic, blending their human judgment with machine precision.
What’s been the hardest part of getting professionals to trust AI-driven automation?
Trust takes proof. In industries built on accuracy, professionals need to see consistent, accurate results before they believe in any new technology. Once they experience AI delivering precision and reliability, in real conditions, not demos, adoption accelerates.
Ultimately, we’ve learned that transparency and performance build confidence faster than any marketing claim ever could.
How will edge AI reshape the entire construction workflow, from design to maintenance?
During design, edge AI refines models and simulations with insights drawn from previous field data, making plans more accurate before ground is even broken. During construction, it guides adaptive workflows by feeding live measurements and progress updates directly into those models, helping teams adjust in real time.
Once projects move into maintenance, the same intelligence continues to monitor performance and predict issues before they appear, creating a feedback loop that improves each future design.
In this way, edge AI connects every phase into a single ecosystem, where data flows continuously from design to build to operation. Each stage benefits from the last, forming the backbone of a truly autonomous, data-driven construction lifecycle.
Can the TS20’s edge AI breakthroughs extend to other sectors?
Absolutely. Any industry operating in complex, high-stakes environments, whether mining, energy, or transportation, can benefit when teams can act on data instantly. The result is faster decisions, more efficient operations, and safer outcomes.
These technologies aren’t limited by sector; they’re limited only by imagination. When we connect data, people, and intelligence in real time, we move from reactive decision-making to proactive precision, which turns complexity into opportunity.
What’s the next big step: self-learning instruments or deeper human–machine collaboration?
It is not a question of machines replacing humans; it is about partnership. The future lies in deeper collaboration between people and machines, powered by autonomous intelligence. In construction, this means AI systems that analyse data, predict outcomes, and guide teams towards safer and more efficient decisions. As intelligent systems take on repetitive or hazardous work, people can focus on creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. This balance enhances productivity, improves safety, and ensures the industry continues to evolve with both people and technology at its core.
Burkhard Boeckem is CTO at Hexagon. With more than 200 years of history, Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, is the trusted supplier of premium sensors, software, and services. Delivering value every day to professionals in surveying, construction, infrastructure, mining, mapping and other geospatial content-dependent industries, Leica Geosystems leads the industry with innovative solutions to empower an autonomous future. Hexagon is the global leader in measurement technologies. The company provides the confidence that vital industries rely on to build, navigate, and innovate. From microns to Mars, its solutions ensure productivity, quality, and sustainability in everything from manufacturing and co