To continue the drive toward advancing autonomy and removing people from harm’s way, Komatsu said at MINExpo 2021 that it has been trialing an autonomous water truck, based on its proven Autonomous Haulage System (AHS). The technology on the concept HD785-7 truck autonomously controls both the truck’s movement and water disbursement through the same platform.

Komatsu is working to introduce the HD785-based autonomous water truck as a commercial offering in 2022 to help enhance safety and productivity in mines. Komatsu’s AHS enables the water truck to travel autonomously on a pre-defined haul road and work cooperatively with other autonomous trucks and staffed equipment. The system controls the amount of water disbursed, according to the vehicle speed and haul road inclination, and also manages the watering history to avoid overwatering.