Rio tinto is clearly the autonomy leader in mining and the most advanced. Rio tinto completes first fully autonomous rail journey in western australia 6th october 2017 11. Mar 07, 2018 a decade ago, rio tinto introduced fully autonomous haul trucks as one of the first steps in its mine of the future program. Dec 18, 2017 mining giant rio tinto ltd said it plans to expand its fleet of autonomous trucks operating in australias pilbara ironore region, part of a costcutting programme across its operations. May 03, 2018 when autonomous construction equipment eventually arrives on siteswithin 10 to 20 years, van hampton predictstheyll deliver increased. Caterpillar will also install cat command for hauling software for operation of the autonomous fleet. The mining industry is changing rapidly to meet the evolving expectations of our stakeholders, who rightly hold us to everhigher standards around our business practices. British mining company rio tinto has 73 autonomous behemoths transporting iron ore 24 hours a. Dec 19, 2017 rio tinto plans to install the autonomous haul system into its komatsu dump trucks, each of which is about 15 feet in height, 35 feet in length, and 20 feet in width and about 20 times the volume size of an average car. Mining giant rio tinto ltd said it plans to expand its fleet of autonomous trucks operating in australias pilbara ironore region, part of a costcutting program across its operations.
Dec 18, 2017 rio tinto will field the first fleet of caterpillar autonomous trucks in its marandoo iron ore mine in western australia. Selfdriving, 416ton trucks are hauling raw materials around australia. Rio tinto to retrofit pilbara trucks for autonomous handling. The nearly 100 km 62 mi pilot run was completed without a driver onboard, making it the first fully autonomous heavy haul train journey completed in australia, according to the company. Autonomous vehicles are leaving mining giant rio tinto in the. Pdf document on american transportation research institutes website. But, by contrast to traditional recombination at rio tinto. The autonomous vehicles themselves will function as a platform, which can be harnessed by individuals, businesses and organisations. On december 18, rio tinto announced it would be expanding its fleet of autonomous haul trucks at its iron ore operations in the pilbara by more than 50% by 2019 after signing agreements with caterpillar inc.
Rio tinto s development of autonomous technologies. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Rio tinto is using selfdriving, 416ton trucks to haul raw. Rio tinto now uses av trucks to haul about a quarter of ore and waste material across the companys five sites in australias pilbara region. Rio tinto automation australia iron ore mining fair use for educational purposes courtesy of bbc. Rio tinto therefore projects that its autonomous truck fleet will add billions of dollars of increased productivity. The mining giant and caterpillar signed an agreement for retrofitting 19 cat 793f mining trucks for autonomous operation.
Equipment replacement analysis of manual trucks with autonomous truck technology in open pit mines. Technology rio tinto is deploying a further nine autonomous drilling systems at its mines in pilbara, western australia, making 20 in total. Rio tinto is a mining and metals company operating in about 36 countries around the world products. May 21, 2018 rio tinto has been granted authorisation by australias office of the national rail safety regulator onrsr, approving the autonomous operation of trains at the groups iron ore business in western australia. As well as the vehicles, its iron ore business operates six fully autonomous drill systems to drill production blast holes.
Dec 29, 2016 selfdriving, 416ton trucks are hauling raw materials around australia. From the 416ton selfdriving haulers deployed by rio tinto. About we produce iron ore for steel, aluminium for cars and smart phones, copper for wind turbines, diamonds that set the standard for responsible, titanium for household products and borates for crops that feed the world. Discover more about rio tinto s commitment to smart mining today. Rio tinto expanding autonomous truck fleet in australia as. Today, rio tintos skilled operators, data analysts and engineers guide the intricate interplay of gigantic drills and excavators, gargantuan earth movers and dump trucks, and trains pulling hundreds of cars headed to ports and refineries around the globe.
Mining giant rio tinto ltd said it plans to expand its fleet of autonomous trucks operating in australias pilbara ironore region, part of a costcutting programme across its operations. Rio tintos autonomous haul trucks achieve one billion tonne milestone. Autonomous and remote operation technologies in the mining industry benefits and costs. British mining company rio tinto has 73 autonomous behemoths transporting iron ore 24 hours a day in. The innovation culture that spurred rio tintos mine of. Rio tinto expands autonomous trucking fleet, aims for 100. Jul, 2018 a rio tinto autonomous train has completed its first journey across the pilbara with 28,000 tonnes of iron ore on board. May 06, 20 in april 20 mining giant rio tinto announced that its fleet of autonomous haul trucks ahts working at west angelas and yandicoogina operations in australia had hauled more than 100 million tonnes of earth. The trucks are part of what rio tinto calls the mine of the future a concept around innovation and reinvention to ensure the company survives and thrives in periods of change.
Cat, rio tinto to field autonomous haul fleet construction. Melbourne, australiabusiness wire rio tinto chief executive js jacques said covid19 is a human tragedy and we all have to play our part as the pandemic spreads. Mar 09, 2016 in 2011, rio tinto reached a deal with komatsu to buy 150 driverless trucks over the following four years. Today, rio tintos skilled operators, data analysts and engineers guide the. Rio tinto and other large mining companies are using machine learning, autonomous vehicles and intelligent operations to pave the way for the. Rio tinto controls its driverless vehicles remotely, which means their human operators are out of harms way. Rio tinto is using selfdriving, 416ton trucks to haul. Driverless trucks move all iron ore at rio tintos pilbara. The trucks are part of what rio tinto calls the mine of the future a concept around innovation and reinvention to ensure the company survives and thrives in. Rio tinto granted approval for autonomous operation. Autonomous vehicle technology content on rio tinto the industry is looking to save lives, reduce injuries, improve mobility equity and convenience, and move people and goods more efficiently. As a result, we could see the emergence of automatedvehicleasaservice business models, rather than the traditional. Nineteen caterpillar haul trucks at the marandoo mine will be retrofitted with the socalled autonomous haulage system technology starting mid2018 for completion by the end of 2019. The innovation culture that spurred rio tinto s mine of the future.
Rio tinto plans to double its fleet of autonomous drills in order to create a safer working environment and boost productivity across its worldclass iron ore operations in western australia. Nov 16, 2016 rio tintos flagship mine of the future tm program has three pillars. Rio tintos autonomous trucks haul onebillionth tonne of material. Rio tinto completes first fully autonomous rail journey. I smile when i hear the rush to develop autonomous vehicles by uber. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us.
Our network includes about 200 locomotives on more than 1,700 kilometres of track in the pilbara. Rio tinto controls its autonomous truck operations in pilbara. Rio tinto s first priority remains the health and safety of all of our employees and communities. Fully autonomous trains are better suited for moving ores. The first two mines in the world to start moving all of their iron ore using fully remotecontrolled trucks have just gone online in western australias pilbara. Autohaul is the worlds first heavyhaul, longdistance autonomous rail operation, which transports iron ore to rio tinto s port facilities in the pilbara region of western australia. Rio tinto is deploying a further nine autonomous drilling systems at its mines in pilbara, western australia, making 20 in total. Julian turner reports visit the remote mining region of pilbara in western australia and it wont be long before you catch sight of one. Digital mining and autonomous vehicles offer several. Rio tinto is a global leader in the development of autonomous technologies for use in the mining sector. Rio tinto preparing autonomous mining trucks suitable for. Realising the benefits of autonomous vehicles in australia. Rio tinto will be able to mine both data and rock to maintain its position as a flagship natural resources firm.
The ap technology experts from rio tinto will provide technical assistance both. Autonomous vehicles the solution for transportations problems 15. Dec 18, 2017 mining giant rio tinto ltd said it plans to expand its fleet of autonomous trucks operating in australias pilbara ironore region, part of a costcutting program across its operations. Concepts for development of autonomous coal mine shuttle. In australia, the impact of autonomous vehicles will be farreaching.
Rio tinto will expand the driverless truck program at its pilbara iron ore operations, retrofitting caterpillar trucks for the first time for automated operations. A rio tinto autonomous train has completed its first journey across the pilbara with 28,000 tonnes of iron ore on board. Australian research centres, including the rio tinto centre for mine. Rio tinto s autonomous trucks haul onebillionth tonne of material. Even in vehicles with drivers, however, automation can protect operators. Modernization of the plant will start in 2019 and take place in stages, in compliance with the pot repair schedule. Rio tinto completes first fully autonomous rail journey in. Komatsu autonomous trucks increase productivity by 34. Sep 07, 2018 rio tinto and other large mining companies are using machine learning, autonomous vehicles and intelligent operations to pave the way for the 4th industrial revolution. Rio tinto has developed a 3d visualisation technology, rtvis, that is being used in their. Dec 17, 2017 rio tinto will expand its fleet of autonomous haul trucks at its worldclass iron ore operations in the pilbara by more than 50 per cent by 2019 after signing agreements with leading manufacturers. Autonomous vehicle engineering magazine, october, 2018. Sep 10, 2018 rio tinto has been testing and implementing autonomous technology for around a decade, and after a decade of using komatsus massive driverless trucks, the company is integrating autonomous trains into its operations.
Autonomous trucking beckons tata consultancy services tcs. This report was commissioned by rio tinto with the aim of exploring the likely future impacts. Pdf equipment replacement analysis of manual trucks with. One of the top mining firms in the world, rio tinto, has been operating a fleet of autonomous trucks in various parts of australia as part of its operations there. In autonomous operations, heavy machinery like large trucks and drilling rigs can be operated remotely by controllers in a local data center. Autonomous and remote operation technologies in the mining.
Rio tinto will expand its fleet of autonomous haul trucks at its worldclass iron ore operations in the pilbara by more than 50 per cent by 2019. The technology enables a remote operator using a single console to control four autonomous drill rigs simultaneously. Nov 16, 2014 rio tinto automation australia iron ore mining fair use for educational purposes courtesy of bbc. A global mining company developed an automated rail car. Rio tinto started deploying autonomous technology in 2008. Autonomous construction equipment and driverless vehicles. As of 2018, rio tinto s fleet of 80 autonomous komatsu vehicles had moved over 1 billion tonnes of ore and waste material in western australias pilbara region.
Rio tinto doubles down autonomous drilling mine australia. It said a further 200 million tonnes had been hauled by its fleet of six ahts deployed at its nammuldi operations in march. Rio tinto to double autonomous drill fleet australian mining. Oct 05, 2017 rio tinto reports it has successfully completed the first fully autonomous rail journey at its iron ore operations in the pilbara region of western australia. In this vein, the organization should explore how integrating ships, traditional or autonomous, into the rio tinto pilbara operations network will allow the firm to further reduce costs and drive margins. The miner ran its first fully autonomous heavy haul train in september 2017, completing a 100kilometre pilot run without a driver on board. The innovation culture that spurred rio tintos mine of the. Rio tinto digging into the data and autonomous vehicle. Komatsus vehicles are called autonomous haulage systems, or ahs. Accessing the fast and furious pace of autonomy to.