Traditionally, customers have been using in-cylinder linear position sensors to monitor bucket positions. This requires three such sensors collecting linear motion data from hydraulic cylinders on the boom, stick, and bucket, respectively. Then the linear motion data must be converted to rotary motion output to ultimately decide bucket position. This complex process frequently causes error stack-up and impacts job quality and productivity. Also, in-cylinder position sensors are unreliable when exposed to high shock and vibration environments and have poor sealing, leading to moisture ingress and short MTBF. Once the sensor fails, all equipment must be removed and sent to the repair facility to allow the replacement of the sensor and required system calibration. The cost of decommissioning the vehicle from the field is significant. Not only do the sensors cost more, but there are also additional costs associated with machining, drilling, and welding of the cylinder to have the sensors installed inside. This could be an extra $500 to $1,500 depending on the size of the hydraulic cylinder. Equipment OEM needs to purchase the hydraulic cylinder, buy an in-cylinder position sensor, then ship to a third-party integrator for installation. One can imagine how difficult it is to manage this kind of supply chain.