Tag Archives: Hexagon

Ma’aden Mansourah Massarah digital mine offers up blueprint for the future

Automation, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

Duncan Bradford (pictured) says Saudi Arabia’s flagship digital gold mine won’t maintain its new title for long, with the early success of a technology blueprint and partnership at Mansourah Massarah creating a template for Ma’aden’s next major gold project in the Kingdom.

An experienced Australian mining leader who has been executive vice president of Ma’aden’s fast-growing Base Metals and New Minerals Business Unit since 2022, Bradford is overseeing operational ramp-up of the geometallurgically complex Mansourah Massarah mine while running a rule over final feasibility work on nearby Ar Rjum.

Ar Rjum is the cornerstone piece of a plan that has Ma’aden doubling its annual gold output to 1 Moz over the next six years.

Hailed earlier this year as the Middle East’s first digital mine, Mansourah Massarah has been a fitting test of the value that state-of-the-art mine and mobile fleet sensor, software and autonomous technologies can bring to a greenfield site pushing the proverbial envelope on a number of fronts in Saudi Arabia’s nascent gold sector.

Bradford will sit down with Hexagon Chief Product Officer, Dave Goddard, at this month’s IMARC conference in Sydney, Australia, to talk about a partnership that has now been going for five years and which is positively impacting financial, safety and even environmental outcomes at Mansourah Massarah.

Moderated by Worley’s Nick Bell, the discussion will present one of the more fascinating international case studies on the role technology is now playing to help miners counteract long project lead times and high-cost environments.

Bradford, who cut his teeth in Saudi mining at Jabal-Sayid while running major international underground mining contractor Byrnecut’s international business, says an appetite to embrace the industry’s latest technology is paying dividends for Ma’aden. And he expects those dividends to grow.

Mansourah Massarah, with low-grade surface pits and a 4 Mt per annum autoclave and processing plant, is a “learning ground for Ar Rjum” in terms of its use of a sophisticated, integrated digital platform to precisely control material flows and efficient deployment of a contractor’s mobile assets and people.

“We will get the bugs out of the system at Mansourah Massarah so we can have it set up and ready to go from day one at Ar Rjum, which is in terms of tonnes to be more than double the size of Mansourah Massarah,” Bradford says.

“We are not the first company in the world to implement this technology. Places like Australia and the US have got it. But we are the first in Saudi to implement it and certainly one of the few mining companies to install such a system on a contractor’s owned fleet.

“Unlike all the other gold mines [in Ma’aden’s stable] this is a sulphide and an oxide mine, and it’s a low-grade mine. We need to closely track material coming out of the two different pits feeding ore to the stockpiles, and to actively manage dilution so we don’t destroy value in the orebody. And we need to monitor the ore blend going into the autoclave.

“It’s critical to get not only the gold [in the feed] right but also the organics for the sulphur content for the autoclave. Ultimately I want the system to help control the grade going through the stockpiles, through the crusher, into the system. We’re not there yet, but we are on the path.”

Mansourah Massarah is a beachhead, too, for Hexagon, one of the world’s major mining technology providers.

It has given the Swedish-headquartered company a base on which to build in one of the world’s most exciting mineral exploration and development growth regions. It has provided an avenue to demonstrate the capabilities of a software, sensor, operator safety and machine control technology stack assembled and integrated over the past decade.

Most importantly though, Goddard says, the long-term alliance is showing collaboration can be more than a slogan in the industry.

“It’s been very encouraging to see the step-change in terms of productivity the products can help bring,” he says. “They are, in essence, optimisation tools and the latest configuration parameters and algorithms build on work we have done over a number of years at mining projects across the globe.

“Leveraging that value in a partnership, though, really comes down to trust and a willingness to adopt. And I think that’s what is really key here.

“When we went into Saudi Arabia we made a commitment to Maaden and also to the Kingdom; to be a permanent presence there and to be real partners. The level of trust has governed the speed and effectiveness of the technology rollout at Mansourah Massarah.”

Written by Richard Roberts, Editorial Director, Beacon Events.

International Mining is a media sponsor of IMARC, taking place on October 29-31, in Sydney, Australia.

Hexagon and Augment Technologies launch AI-powered 3D blast movement solution

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Hexagon has announced the global release of its AI-powered 3D blast movement solution, Hexagon Blast Movement Intelligence (BMI), at the same time highlighting a real-world application of BMI at Centerra Gold’s Mt.Milligan copper-gold mine, in Canada.

In partnership with Augment Technologies and through integration of an AI-driven blast movement engine, Hexagon BMI is billed as boosting blasting efficiency and providing high visibility into ore dilution for informed ore and waste delineation post-blast. This leads to the safe production of an accurate block model of the muckpile and, ultimately, an uplift in yield.

The ability to generate a Muckpile Block Model™ – a post-blast representation of the grade control block model – is a distinguishing feature of BMI. Paired with Hexagon Blast Movement Monitors, the AI can be validated and improved as the engine helps to safely and rapidly produce the Muckpile Block Model. Importantly, the model is produced without personnel having to walk on the muckpile to place or retrieve the monitors.

What also makes BMI unique is its integration with Hexagon’s MinePlan Block Model Manager, a data-integrity solution built for collaboration and data sharing across different roles and mining phases, eliminating errors and undue complexity in the block modelling process. By centralising data and using server-based features like block model management, version control and change notifications, Block Model Manager ensures the integrity and auditability of data, according to Hexagon. Its application programming interface improves the access, reuse and integration of that data with other systems to enhance mining operations.

“Our Blast Movement Intelligence solution has proven profoundly useful for optimising downstream processes,” James Dampney, Vice President Resource Optimisation and Material Movement at Hexagon, says. “It can quickly interpret complex data, learn from that data and estimate movements based on that data, getting smarter with each blast so that the model is machine-precise, improving the thousands of decisions that cascade from resource modelling and ore delineation.”

BMI not only enables mines to quickly, safely and confidently define with a high level of precision the routing of the revenue-producing material but also empowers them to conserve energy throughout the rest of comminution, ultimately improving ore recovery and yielding a better bottom line, Hexagon says.

Armed with the additional insights from MinePlan Block Model Manager, Hexagon’s BMI serves as a data-rich, high-fidelity blast movement solution that can positively impact every stage of the downstream mining process. Its global market availability marks a pivotal development in meshing safety and efficiency in the industry, the company concluded.

Centerra Gold Senior Mine Geologist, Alexis Eapen, will be interviewed onstage in the Hexagon booth at MINExpo 2024 on September 25 about how BMI has supported improvements in the drill and blast workflow at Mt. Milligan.

Hexagon to Augment blast movement offering with AI-based partnership

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Hexagon has announced it is partnering with Western Australia’s Augment Technologies to help mines maximise ore yield and optimise operational efficiencies by accurately accounting for blast movement.

The partnership will harness a blend of block model data, artificial intelligence (AI), bespoke movement models and measured 3D movement data to create a blast movement solution that enables mines to unlock significant value, Hexagon said.

The Hexagon MinePlan Block Model Manager enables users to simultaneously and effectively design, populate, manage and share block models while centrally managing the amount of sample points, variables and outputs associated with orebody data.

Augment Technologies, meanwhile, leverages a physics engine powered by an AI algorithm to create a Muckpile Block Model™ that is continuously improved through a machine-learning process. The process uses vast amounts of blasting data to ensure that the model’s controlling parameters and simulated physics are as accurate as possible, resulting in a bespoke solution for each customer, the company says.

The collaboration between Hexagon and Augment will allow customers to view and manage the Muckpile Block Model that retains all the data and fidelity of the grade control model, with high accuracy and resolution. Users will have the option of incorporating Hexagon’s Blast Movement Monitors as an additional measure for blast movement and for training the AI model, with transparency into all the data inputs and output, it says. They can also combine operational data with insights from the Hexagon Block Model Manager API to help optimise upstream and downstream processes, all within its geological modelling software platform.

“The implications for the industry are profound,” James Dampney, Vice President, Resource Optimisation, Hexagon’s Mining division, said. “Ore loss, dilution and misclassification cost mines millions of wasted dollars a year. Our partnership with Augment Technologies will help mines to optimise digging locations and downstream handling of ore, resulting in valuable processing efficiency and reductions in energy consumption.

“Customers will save training time and operation time by remaining in the same software used to model their ore. The incorporation of an industry-first block model manager provides auditability and traceability to reduce errors while managers and corporate stakeholders will see time-stamped changes of the block model.”

Augment Technologies co-founder and Chairman, Greg Hardwich, said the partnership was setting a new industry standard in minimising ore loss and dilution due to blast movement, bringing enormous efficiency to mining processes.

“We’re very excited to be working with global autonomous technology leader Hexagon to inject our AI-powered capability to create a Muckpile Block Model, transforming the way blast movements are modelled and measured to create significant value for our customers,” he said. “Through this partnership, Hexagon’s customers will have the opportunity to realise demonstratable reductions in ore dilution, allowing miners to return more consistent grades, and higher tonnages of ore for processing.”

Ma’aden and Hexagon partner on Middle East’s first ‘digital mine’ at Mansourah Massarah

Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Ma’aden and Hexagon have partnered to launch what they say is the Middle East’s very first digital mine, with Hexagon’s life-of-mine technology solutions being deployed at Mansourah Massarah mine, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies to enhance efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across the mine’s operations.

Duncan Bradford, Executive Vice President Base Metals and New Metals, Ma’aden, said: “This partnership strongly aligns with our digitisation strategy, as we work to use the vast amounts of data that we mine to make our mine safer and more efficient. We look forward to working closely with Hexagon to implement and utilise the region’s first digital mine to elevate Mansourah Massarah’s operations.”

Nick Hare, President of Hexagon’s Mining division, said: “We are excited to help bring to life this important shift toward digitisation of the mine, one that holistically leverages intelligent data and automation across workflows to minimise the impacts of mining while simultaneously improving safety, productivity and operational efficiency.

“This is about co-authoring the next chapter of mining in this region with a partner who shares in our drive toward a sustainable future.”

Mansourah Massarah, Ma’aden’s newest, largest, and most technologically advanced gold mine, is in Al Khurmah governorates in Makkah Region. The mine consists of the Mansourah and Massarah resources, which are being developed as conventional open-pit mines. The 4 Mt/y plant employs carbon-in-leach and pressure oxidation processes and autoclave technologies for ore gold production. It reached a major milestone of producing first gold in September 2022, going on to produce 11,982 oz for the year.

MMG-Roseberg-HxGN-OAS

MMG and Hexagon achieve ‘Australia first’ fatigue detection tech installation at Rosebery

Base metals, Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

MMG Rosebery says it has become the first mine in Australia to introduce fatigue detection technology in its underground operations, installing the HxGN MineProtect Operator Alertness System across the site in Tasmania.

The system, from Hexagon’s Mining division, has for the first time been installed in underground vehicles to detect fatigue and distraction in real time during 12-hour shifts, further strengthening the safety measures already in place to protect Rosebery’s 530 strong workforce.

Rosebery Mine General Manager, Steve Scott, said MMG continues to look at new and innovative ways to enhance safety across the mine site.

“Our number one value is we always think safety first, and nothing is more important than ensuring all our people go home safely at the end of each day,” he said.

“We recognise that with long shifts, fatigue can become a hazard and this technology enables us to continue to assess the fatigue risk of our underground truck operators in real time.”

The camera technology sits on the vehicle’s dashboard and will send alerts through audible sounds and seat vibration when it detects fatigue and distraction.

Rosebery Mine worked with Hexagon to install the technology in 11 underground trucks with 81 operators now registered to use the system.

Scott said the feedback from MMG’s people using the system has been overwhelmingly positive.

“They’ve seen real value in the technology because it not only helps them to recognise that they’re tired, but also manage their fatigue better after their shifts,” he said. “We have a culture at Rosebery where we encourage a positive and safe workplace, and this is just another initiative that helps us achieve that.”

The Rosebery Mine is one of Tasmania’s largest and oldest continuously operating, underground mines producing zinc, copper and lead concentrates, as well as gold doré.

Pictured is Chantelle Moretti, an Underground Truck Operator at Rosebery, holding the card to log onto the HxGN OAS.

Hexagon, MinRes to ‘transform mining’ with autonomous road train developments

Automation, IoT, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hexagon AB has signed a major agreement with diversified mining company Mineral Resources (MinRes) to provide an autonomous haulage solution for a fleet of road trains to run at the Onslow iron ore project in Western Australia, which, the companies say, will transform safety, productivity and sustainability in the region.

The world-first, fully autonomous road trains are a full-site, truck-agnostic solution, leveraging positioning, onboard autonomy and by-wire, fleet management, collision avoidance, world perception and autonomous mission management solutions from Hexagon.

These solutions will be added to Kenworth 330 t road trains (coming with three trailers each), which will run autonomously on MinRes’ 150 km private haul road.

This agreement builds on two major milestones the companies achieved over the last two years in anticipation of rolling out the fully autonomous road trains at Onslow.

In late 2021, Hexagon and MinRes signed an agreement to develop an autonomous road train solution as part of a plan to unlock “stranded tonnes” in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Then, in April 2022, the companies announced a world-first had been achieved with the successful demonstration of a triple-trailer, automated road train platoon in the Yilgarn of Western Australia – each autonomous road train, in this case, hauling 300 t of iron ore.

Andrew Crose, Vice President, Autonomous Mining, Hexagon’s Mining division, told IM that the speed of adoption of this automated solution – from agreement to demonstration, to planned commercial deployment, in a little over two years – was aided by the abilities and efforts of a global team of Hexagon experts.

“Hexagon has staffed a large multi-national team across the Hexagon technologies stack across Perth (Australia), United States, Brazil, Switzerland and Canada to deliver this technology,” he said.

The companies also worked within the framework of the established Code of Practice for Safe Mobile Autonomous Mining in Western Australia to gain the necessary regulatory approvals to move the project forward at such a pace.

Mike Grey, Chief Executive, MinRes, said in the press release: “Automation will remove the risk of driver fatigue, lower operating costs and reduce fuel use and emissions. There’s enormous potential for these vehicles to transform mining across the world.”

Commissioning of the autonomous road trains is expected to fall in line with the go-live date for Onslow – currently estimated for the first half of 2024.

The road trains form an important part of the 35 Mt/y project, ensuring this tonnage is moved from the mine to the Port of Ashburton.

MinRes has said previously that the autonomous road train technology will initially be adopted for its own mining operations, with a view to offering the solution to its Tier 1 customer base as it grows its Mining Services division.

Hexagon recently expanded its autonomy offering with the acquisition of HARD-LINE; a deal that, Nick Hare, President, Hexagon’s Mining division, says allows the company to provide a scalable automation platform that all mining companies can use and grow with.

Hexagon buys HARD-LINE, bringing scale to interoperable autonomy puzzle

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

Hexagon has agreed to acquire Canada-based tele-remote operations leader HARD-LINE, bringing into its offering all the elements it needs to compete in the autonomous haulage system (AHS) space.

At HxGN LIVE Global 2023 in Las Vegas last month, Hexagon’s Mining division said it was enhancing its relationship with the company, building on a previous distribution agreement the two companies announced back in September 2021.

Now, the two companies have agreed to combine their expertise to achieve their ultimate autonomy goals.

Speaking to IM about the deal, Nick Hare, President, Hexagon’s Mining division, said: “It’s an absolute win for all stakeholders. It is good for us as it enables us to deliver on both safety and autonomy, core to our mission, with HARD-LINE’s considerable experience filling in technology gaps in remote control and its considerable library of interfaces on vehicle by-wire. It’s good for HARD-LINE, giving them access to our sales, distribution and support base in 50 different countries; and, most importantly, it is good for the customers, ensuring that they have an interoperable, OEM-independent partner to rely on.”

Walter Siggelkow, President of HARD-LINE, said he saw the combination of HARD-LINE’s mine operator market knowledge and Hexagon’s suite of products and global presence providing the “world’s first truly integrated autonomous solution”.

He told IM: “Hexagon and HARD-LINE share a common vision that autonomy can be accomplished without starting over. The advanced technologies to extend this capital investment is now available. We are completely confident that this is a perfect fit.”

HARD-LINE says it has developed “by-wire vehicle control solutions” for more than 200 equipment models covering several OEMs over the last 27 years, with more than 3,000 conversions of its platform completed to date, including its renowned TeleOp system. On top of its remote-control solutions, it also provides related network infrastructure to enable the tele-remote operation of heavy machinery from a secure control station on the surface or underground, regardless of distance.

Hexagon, meanwhile, has a significant autonomy stack, including the HxGN Autonomous Mining Mission Manager solution choreographing the movement of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, and mine production activities through one interface; the World Perception solution to enable object detection, operator vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-person awareness; as well as on-board infrastructure such as sensors and antenna.

Hare estimates Hexagon is already the biggest provider of autonomy solutions for off-road heavy industry, but he believes this latest deal will accelerate the realisation of its autonomy ambitions in mining: providing a scalable automation platform that all mining companies can use and grow with.

“Now we have the ability to move the machines, this creates a complete OEM independent solution from one partner,” he said. “You will start to see us go head-to-head on most projects with other AHS providers. The key – and we feel the differentiator for customers – is that we will be matching this with our ability to safely deliver customer success.

“A lot of AHS implementations have enabled companies to move more tonnes, but the return on investment hasn’t always been there. We intend to change that.”

The potential impact Hexagon can make on the AHS market from acquiring HARD-LINE is inevitably the highlight of this deal, but it also has positive ramifications for its latest product offerings, including HxGN Underground Mining, HxGN Autonomous Mining and the HxGN MineProtect solutions.

Hare implied the HARD-LINE platform – when integrated with the Minnovare drilling solutions the company recently acquired – could also see it expand into autonomous underground drilling solutions.

Hexagon’s Mining division deploys fleet management, safety suite at San Cristóbal in Bolivia

Base metals, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

Hexagon’s Mining division says it has deployed a fleet management and safety implementation project with Minera San Cristóbal S.A. for the mining company’s open-pit operations in Bolivia.

As part of this project, Hexagon deployed 65 HxGN MineOperate OP Pro systems, nearly 40 HxGN MineProtect Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS) and 30 HxGN MineProtect Operator Alertness Systems (OAS) to the San Cristóbal operations in Lipez, Potosí Department.

The San Cristóbal mine, one of the largest zinc, lead and silver deposits in the world, features low-grade mineralisation in vast volume, the company says. It produces zinc-silver and lead-silver concentrates, and is currently the largest mining operation in Bolivia. It also boasts the title of the sixth largest producer of zinc in the world and the fourth largest producer of silver in the world.

Minera San Cristóbal is familiar with Hexagon’s Mining division’s solutions, as it already uses HxGN MinePlan’s Engineering and Geoscience suites for 3D geological modelling, mine design, and production planning at the San Cristóbal mine. Deployment of HxGN MineOperate and MineProtect solutions was completed in the June quarter of 2023.

“We pride ourselves on carrying out our operations with the use of state-of-the-art technology like Hexagon’s mining solutions,” Luis Escamilla, Mine Manager of Minera San Cristóbal S.A, said. “Alongside the qualifications of our workers, we put a strict focus on health and safety, the preservation of the environment and the sustainable development of communities.”

Ricardo Gutierrez, Senior Managing Director of EMEA & previous General Manager of Mexico for Hexagon’s Mining division, said:“We are excited to expand our relationship with Minera San Cristóbal and we appreciate that they are including their workers’ safety in their digital transformation journey. The implementation of our fleet management system will allow insight into valuable data they have been wanting so as to gain in operational efficiencies, including the ability to visualise ore and waste polygons, as well as dig lines to truly see mining progress.”

MineOperate OP Pro, Hexagon’s Mining division says, offers open-pit mines high-precision guidance for dozers, drills and loading equipment, and low-precision guidance for haul trucks, primary vehicles and auxiliary equipment. OP Pro improves bench elevations, reduces dilution and decreases rework to improve site safety, efficiency and profitability. OP Pro was installed on wheel loaders, hydraulic shovels, drills, haul trucks, primary vehicles and auxiliary equipment.

Hexagon’s CAS is being deployed on haul trucks to reduce speed-related incidents and on hydraulic shovels and bulldozers to reduce the number of incidents between them. It offers protection to mining vehicle operators, vehicles and assets via a smart antenna and an unobtrusive cabin display unit, according to the company. The system reduces the risk of collisions by alerting vehicle operators to equipment and vehicles up to 500 m away without a direct line of sight.

The MineProtect OAS is an integrated fatigue and distraction management solution that, the company says, helps keep operators of heavy and light vehicles safer by alerting them to micro sleep, fatigue, or distraction events. Both the CAS and OAS systems will help keep drivers and operators safer while working in the mine.

HARD-LINE’s TeleOp tech to be offered as part of HxGN Autonomous Mining portfolio

Automation, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

Hexagon’s Mining division has enhanced its collaboration with Canada-based tele-remote technology leader HARD-LINE, building on a previous distribution agreement the two companies announced back in September 2021.

HARD-LINE’s TeleOp technology allows the tele-remote operation of heavy machinery from a control station in a safe area on surface or underground, regardless of distance. In addition to safety benefits, there are significant productivity advantages to deploying such technology, utilising the equipment over shift changes in underground mines, for example.

Hexagon’s Mining division’s relationship with this technology was previously made up of a distribution agreement. Now, TeleOp is being incorporated into the wider automation offering that comes under the recently announced HxGN Autonomous Mining portfolio.

Speaking last week at HxGN LIVE Global 2023 in Las Vegas, Rob Daw, Chief Innovation Officer at Hexagon’s Mining division, said: “We are strengthening that partnership with HARD-LINE to enhance what the tele-remote solution can do and bring it together into the wider autonomy offering we have within Hexagon’s Mining division.”

HARD-LINE says it has developed “by-wire solutions” for more than 200 equipment models covering several OEMs, with more than 3,000 conversions completed to date.

The closer collaboration between the two companies is already being witnessed in Brazil where Hexagon’s Mining division, HARD-LINE, Scania and Fidens are working on the deployment of teleremote technology at a mine in the country.

Rodrigo Couto, President, LATAM, Hexagon’s Mining division (on the far right), explained: “In Brazil, there is a law dictating that you cannot operate equipment on a manual basis by areas deemed too risky, such as tailings dams, decommissioned & other reclaimed areas. This means tele-remote technology and automation are the only choice to carry out operations.”

Hexagon’s Mining division and HARD-LINE have sold several kits to clients in the country, with one of these kits heading to an operation overseen by Fidens, which has installed a tele-remote kit on a Scania G 500 6×4 Prime Mover.

Couto said: “This is reducing the risk of operators at the tailings operation and also allowing Fidens to operate in areas that, by law, were previously off limits.”

U&M and Hexagon ready to deploy AHS solution at Brazil mine

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

U&M Mineração e Construção S/A, as the largest native open-pit mining contractor in the Americas and one increasingly focused on sustainability, is about to embark on a major autonomous haulage project that could prove transformational for all sizes of mine sites across the globe.

The company has been busily working on an in-house Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) for several years, enlisting the help of Hexagon’s Mining division back in 2020 to ensure what it delivered to the market was a commercial proposition with widescale applicability, IM discovered this week at HxGN LIVE Global 2023 in Las Vegas.

Now the companies are ready to deploy their combined OEM-agnostic AHS solution at a mine in Brazil, starting next month, as part of a plan to bring two AHS-enabled retrofitted Caterpillar 777 trucks to the operation.

The collaboration is seeing U&M carry out all mechanical changes to the 100-ton-class payload trucks to make them automation-ready without disturbing the OEM system. The contractor is also in charge of the navigation system and software that the trucks will run on – the ‘autonomous driver’ as it could be termed.

Hexagon, for its part, provides the HxGN Autonomous Mining Mission Manager Solution to optimise the movement of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, and mine production activities through one interface; the World Perception solution to enable object detection, operator vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-person awareness; and some additional on-board infrastructure – such as sensors and an antenna.

This, according to the companies, makes for an autonomous contractor solution that can be rolled out anywhere in the world.

“What we are creating is a scalable platform that can be used on any truck,” Mauricio Casara of U&M says

“The first project may involve Cat 777s, but what we are creating is a scalable platform that can be used on any truck,” Mauricio Casara, Commercial Director at U&M, told IM. “We are looking to improve on the legacy AHS solutions by making automation available to any size of mine with any type of trucks.”

As part of the company’s R&D work to this point, it has also retrofitted an autonomous solution on a Komatsu 730E, with that truck running at its proving grounds in Brazil.

Interestingly for this proof of concept involving the two Cat 777s, the plan is to enable the trucks to interact with both autonomous and manned vehicles in the haulage cycle from the off: an interaction that the traditional AHS providers have only just started to work on after more than a decade of industry deployments.

This is just one of the hurdles the solution will overcome, according to Andrew Crose, Vice President, Autonomous Mining, Hexagon’s Mining division.

“The world perception sensor stack that we have on board these machines will allow us to distinguish between trucks, light vehicles, berms, people and many other objects,” he said. “By leveraging this, we can ensure the trucks operate as safely as possible while being as productive as possible. That is key to achieving buy-in from all stakeholders involved.”

While the official partnership for this project was not signed until 2020, U&M has been utilising the GNSS positioning smarts of Hexagon – through the NovAtel business it acquired – for many more years.

This same GNSS solution is being leveraged in the two-strong autonomous truck trial along with V2X, 4D Radars,  ultra-wideband time-of-flight systems and more.

Crose added: “It’s worth mentioning that around 60% of the autonomous machines running in the field have some Hexagon solution on them. We are sometimes providing the positioning, world perception, fleet and mission management, onboard autonomy and by-wire, all part of our interoperable strategy.”

While this initiative is inevitably going to pique the interest of those companies in charge of running these autonomous trucks, U&M has no plans to compete with the likes of Caterpillar and Komatsu when it comes to manufacturing automation-ready trucks.

“There are so many existing trucks out in the field that our clients are running; all of which can be retrofitted with the solution we are working on,” Casara said. “The whole industry talks about sustainability and how to mine sustainably, but the sustainable solution to achieving autonomous operations is not to build brand new trucks and equip them for automation; it is to retrofit the smarts onto them to enable that automation.

“This is the sustainable way to roll out the automation needed across the sector to achieve mining companies’ productivity and decarbonisation goals.”