The Path to Autonomy
While Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS) trials have occurred for more than 25 years, full-scale production systems have operated for a much shorter time. The first commercial application occurred at CODELCO’s mine in South America in 2008. However, full-scale AHS sites are predominantly located in the iron ore mines of Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Today approximately 1500 fully autonomous trucks are operating across the world. Future deployments of off-road autonomous systems are not likely to be unsuccessful but may fail to meet expectations. A rise in transition of on-road autonomy companies to off-road applications will drive an even greater adoption of autonomous mobile equipment within heavy industry.
Areas of Practice
Product Development and Advisor Assistance
A large gap exists between fast moving technology companies and the mature heavy industries. This gap often is the source of disappointment in a new trial of technology. Closing this gap will improve the chance of success for trials and larger scale deployments.
Business Case & Scoping Studies
Early in a mining company’s path to autonomy, business case and scoping studies must be undertaken to analyze if their site(s) are appropriate candidates for autonomous mining systems. Underlying assumptions in these studies should reflect the positive and negative impacts experienced at autonomy sites around the world.
Work Shops & Short Courses
Workshops & short courses can provide a better understanding of autonomous mining systems and how they can be applied to a mining company’s projects. They can be targeted to provide value from the C-suite to technicians in the field.
“The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”
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