Bucket-wheel excavator

A bucket-wheel excavator is a very big machine that helps dig up big holes in the ground. It is so big that it can be taller than a 6-story building and as long as a football field! It has a giant wheel with many buckets attached to it. The wheel spins around and scoops up dirt and rocks from the ground, then dumps them onto a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt carries the dirt and rocks away from the hole the machine is digging.

Think of it like using a big spoon to scoop up dirt from a sandbox and put it in a bucket. The bucket-wheel excavator is like a giant spoon that can scoop up much bigger amounts of dirt and rocks than a person could do by themselves. It helps people dig up big holes for things like building new roads or mining for minerals.