AUTOMATION
Leading the way in driverless trucks deployment in Australia is Rio Tinto, which last year increased its fleet to 53 Komatsu vehicles in four different iron ore mines. Te tonnage hauled this way increased from 100 to 150 million tonnes in a year, since commencing the programme four years earlier. Te investment by Rio Tinto is part of its ‘Mine of the Future’ strategy that has seen investment in a number of initiatives to boost the use of advanced technologies at its mines to improve productivity and safety. Te company expects to run a fleet of 150 Komatsu driverless trucks eventually. So far the trucks are operating at the West Angelas, Yandicoognia, Nammuldi and Hope Downs sites. Rio Tinto’s CEO Sam Walsh commented that the trucks had significantly enhanced haul cycle times, extended tyre life, reduced fuel usage and lowered maintenance costs. Fortescue Metals Group was the second to commission semi- autonomous haul trucks in 2011 with
a fleet of 12 Caterpillar units at its Solomon mine sites. It is argued that BHP Billiton’s driverless truck fleet is robotic, not remote-controlled, although all operations are controlled from the company’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre (IROC) in Perth. Te same centre also provides computerised fleet management services, train control and fixed plant control over ore transport within and from the Pilbara mines and for the port ship loading facilities. In fact IROC centralises supervision and control of the company’s entire Western Australia iron ore network.
W
ith automation comes an increased risk of attacks by hackers. Newer automation systems will have to comply with additional safety protocols.
Te reasoning for the description of the truck fleet is that the trucks have many safety features to automatically prevent collisions with other trucks, whether manned or unmanned. l
One of Rio Tinto’s driverless Komatsu 930E haul trucks of 290-t capacity.
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