The activity currently ongoing in converting mine loading tools to teleremote operation is not restricted to hydraulic excavators. Taiyuan Heavy Industry Co Ltd in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province (TYHI) is the domestic leader in the supply of electric mine rope shovels and also an important global player with machines in South Africa, Peru, Chile, Russia and elsewhere. It told IM it is working on its own solution. Not only that but its ultimate aim is to supply a completely autonomous option. The company makes the well known WK rope shovel range including the WK-20, WK-27A, WK-35, WK-45, WK-55 and the largest in the world, the WK-75 with a 75 m3 bucket.

The company told Paul Moore, IM Editorial Director: “We can confirm that we have developed remote operation for electric rope shovels. Moreover, the intelligent project we aim to develop will be completely unmanned. It will be carried out in two stages: the first stage is to realise remote operation. At present, the application of teleremote operation on an electric shovel has been tested successfully in the factory. It will be put into practical use in a mine in Inner Mongolia in December 2020. In the next stage, the positioning, perception and decision system will be tested on the prototype and the integrated unmanned operating system will be developed, after which the trial production of unmanned large-scale shovel prototype will be completed.”