{"id":81156,"date":"2023-01-10T02:51:55","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T02:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/\/?p=81156"},"modified":"2023-06-27T23:40:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T23:40:21","slug":"where-to-now-for-mining-autonomous-haulage-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/where-to-now-for-mining-autonomous-haulage-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to now for Mining Autonomous Haulage Systems?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With just over 10 years commercially operating Autonomous Haul Systems in Australia mining operations it is poignant to take a look back and see far things have come or maybe not come. Has it been the success story that was envisaged all those years ago?<\/span><\/p>\n

After an initial few years of trials and experimentation with AHS to prove up to confirm the safety, refine the software and hardware along with studying the feasibility of it all, the big leap was taken to commit to AHS as a new way of mining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where is AHS now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Initially the early adaptors had grand plans and even more grandiose time frames for when it would all happen. The potential of AHS and what it could do for the mining processes was endless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now anyone that has worked with AHS immediately understands the huge leaps AHS has achieved for the safety of an open cut mining operation, this alone is a very compelling business case for deciding to implement AHS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standalone AHS is not really an autonomous system, it\u2019s better described as a remote operating system. AHS still basically requires just as many inputs from the humans – to make a lot of the important decisions, complete most of the physical tasks, the AHS trucks are simply travelling from point A to B without direct physical inputs from an operator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the beginning AHS efficiency and productivity was much more aligned to what one would expect from an automated system. The AHS operating areas were tightly managed and controlled to avoid unwanted interaction, operators were better skilled and more knowledgeable about how the system worked and the ways to best adapt to it, AHS area design was better adapted to compliment AHS performance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like a lot of technologies as it expands more and more people have an impact on all the external processes and decision making that affects how the system performs, and sometimes these decisions have big negative repercussions to how AHS trucks can perform their automated operations efficiently. Often these decisions are made from a place of little knowledge or understanding of what needs to be done to compliment AHS performance, rather the thought process is normally what do we need to do to the system to make it adapt to our situation. Frankly speaking if a mine site cannot adapt their mine to suit current optimal AHS operating conditions and practices, then maybe AHS is not for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where to next for Mining Autonomous Haulage Systems?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For AHS to really start and reach its full potential there needs to be a whole lot of advancements in:<\/span><\/p>\n