Autonomous road train trial 'a success'

In a world-first at Mineral Resources’ Yilgarn iron ore project, three autonomous three-trailer road trains connected in a platoon configuration successfully completed road trail demonstrations. Each road train was loaded to a gross weight of 300 tonnes of iron ore.

Mike Grey, Chief Executive of Mining Services, said he’s delighted that Mineral Resources leads the world with ground-breaking innovations such as an autonomous road train platoon of this size, something never achieved before.

Mineral Resources teamed up with autonomous specialist Hexagon for the project, integrating Hexagon's drive-by-wire technology with an autonomous management system to orchestrate vehicle movement.

"It's been an exciting journey over the past year, and we've now achieved a world-first platoon of three autonomous road trains, which is a game-changer for us," Mike Grey said. "It's an extremely proud moment to see our autonomous project grow from desktop concept to iron ore reality so quickly."

Mike added that Mineral Resources had introduced several new technologies over recent years to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of their long-distance road train haulage fleet. The autonomous road trains would take them to the next level.

"Our autonomous road trains will form an essential part of the cost-efficient supply chain, unlocking stranded resources in the Pilbara region as part of the Ashburton Hub Iron Ore Project," he said.

At the trial, Nick Hare, President of Hexagon's Mining division, said that Hexagon enjoyed working with Mineral Resources because of its ability to bring ideas into production quickly.

Hexagon's Mining division is helping to connect all parts of a mine with technologies that make sense of data in real-time. Mines must find ways to integrate, automate, and optimise critical workflows for a competitive edge. Now more than ever, the industry must cut costs while improving safety.

"We value the opportunity to demonstrate our position as a leader in sensor, software and autonomous solutions. Mineral Resources is an ideal partner for a project of this size and complexity," Nick said.