RCT says it has entered into a project with Chinova Resources to install and commission autonomous technology at its Osborne copper-gold underground mine in Queensland, Australia.

The project involves RCT installing its ControlMaster® Guidance Automation packages on two CAT 2900 LHDs at the operation, which comprises mining, processing facilities and exploration tenements.

RCT will also provide an underground Teleremote Cabin complete with a Laser Guard Containment Unit and analogue communications as well as a Fibre Optic Control Station located on the mine’s surface, it said.

Osborne is a 2 Mt/y (5,500 t/d) copper-gold flotation operation that has recently transitioned from open-pit to underground mining.

RCT said: “ControlMaster Guidance offers consistent machine operation and cycle times by reducing unplanned machine downtime from operator errors and improved safety for operators who can manage the machines from remote locations.”

RCT’s Brisbane and Mount Isa branches carried out installation and commissioning works in mid-2019 and will deliver operator and maintenance training to site personnel, it said.