Anyone have pictures or experience to share from the Mine Expo show? watched the video ? KOMATSU Innovative Autonomous Haulage - Autonomous Haulage Vehicle Without a Driver or Komatsu Autonomus Dump Truck WOW !! Innovation ? nailed it!! way to go Komatsu
Yair . . . Dunno CATBEATER . The Big Australian and others have been using this technology on standard trucks for a while and I often wonder how paying an operator (say) a hundred grand a year to run a truck makes much difference to the end cost of the product. It does make a difference to the poor SOB who is put out of a job by the technology. And no, I'm not a Luddite but I think this automation stuff has a down side. Cheers.
Hmmm I'm Intersted to see how this technology is accepted and put to use in our little slice of heaven. In the event of a failure an operator can often give you a clue as to what might have happened, I wonder if this style of machine has more sensors and whatnot to help diagnose issues. Or would it be like our old RC cars where two trucks running the same frequency go haywire and crash into each other? Self driving cars have had hickups, they weigh what 2,500 pounds? Will the ensuing calamity be the corresponding weight difference in magnitude? Sorry couldn't resist. I'm sure it's the wave of the future and everybody will have their own version. Junkyard
Wow!! There is a video on the Komatsu America site that shows animation of this truck in action. Very interesting how not having to design in a cab into the truck has allowed engine and other components to be placed in nonconventional locations. My father has told me for years "they won't ever to be able to replace the mechanics with machines but they will be able to replace the operators". Guess it is a sign of the times driverless cars, remote controlled heavy equipment and autonomous heavy equipment.
It has a few interesting features. No turning around at the load or dump site has got to lead to less tire wear, and less road maintenance in those areas, as well as time savings for not turning. The weight is balanced loaded or empty, so everything from tire and component wear ends up being balanced. The autonomous trucks tend to be easier on all components and tires anyway, since they have no personality issues, and no desire to be a hot dog. For construction I don't see these catching on, as there are too many changes throughout the day, but in open pits, where the haul is the same, or very nearly so, day after day, I see a real advantage. The only downside I see at the moment is that the truck drives toward the end of the box that dumps, so if a rock rolls out, it is in the travel path. The other side of that is most hauls are uphill, and rocks rarely roll uphill to fall out. In areas where wages for relatively low skill positions get too high, the human drivers will price themselves out of a job. I do not see these catching on in the low wage parts of the world.
Probably more than one operator per truck, maybe 3 or 4 as there would 1 x on days 1x on nights and one on their week off or what ever so allowing 3 per truck the savings would soon add up at $ 100,000 a year or there abouts.
I used to work in a process industry. For a 24/7 operation, the labor would be figured as 4 operators. Do the mines work 24/7 ?
Most large mines work 24/7. Depending on shift patterns it would be either 3 or 4 operators to man a single machine on that basis. Where I am currently the operators work 14-on, 7-off so it would need 3.
14 days straight, 12 hour shifts ?? Yikes that's hard on a body. 7 x 12 hours = 72 hours per week ...40 hours straight time + 32 hours at 1.5 rate ... Is this correct ? Or is some non working time built in for fueling & maintenance ?? In my world, the process was continuous. A 1 second power blip that shut down the process meant a 4-6 hour restart before making good product again.
I wish owner-operators could charge time and a half on our machines when we exceed 40 hours per week.
There is no OT for rotating shifts. The hourly wage covers OT, days/nights, public holidays, weekends, etc. Also the operators get paid at the same rate during their 7 days off as well.
I work on a site running autonomous 793f trucks. They are segregated into their own area. There's a mountain of additional sensors on them and they are monitored live so if things go wrong they can be moved out of the run so they don't block the other trucks. From what I've been told the advantages is, Trucks drive within their limits No operator fatigue issues More efficient as no stopping for lunch etc
No lazy operators calling in BS faults so they can park up and sleep, either.
I'm a bit late to this thread... But if I had a nickel for every time a newby operator told me he was more valuable than a mechanic....:tong