Tag Archives: Teleop

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

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.

HARD-LINE adds Bucket Assist to TeleOp system offering

HARD-LINE, aligning with its brand-agnostic prowess, has launched Bucket Assist at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 in Las Vegas, USA, an add-on feature to its TeleOp systems that gives the TeleOp operator a visual representation of the position of the boom and bucket in relation to the ground.

The company’s current and new clients can opt for this feature that, HARD-LINE says, will bring the machine operator closer to the machine without leaving their TeleOp control stations, increasing productivity while continuing to keep the machine operator at a safe distance.

Phil Pelland, Vice President, Sales, HARD-LINE, says: “Tactile feedback from the machine is crucial for any machine operator to judge the position and placement for optimum productivity. This is a solution our customers needed, and we are pleased to deliver.”

In addition to this new feature, HARD-LINE has made an announcement on a new product that, it says, will revolutionise teleoperation. The new product is a compact box that CONNECTs everything from the machine to its operator by enabling successful collaboration between HARD-LINE and its clients. This new product will continue to keep safety at the forefront while also shining the light on a core company value – collaboration – it says.

Hexagon’s Mining division to distribute HARD-LINE’s TeleOp tech in the Americas

HARD-LINE and Hexagon’s Mining Division have announced a new partnership at MINExpo 2021, in Las Vegas, that, they say, will enhance their international mining capabilities.

Combining their expertise in surface and underground mining, Hexagon will serve as a major distributor of HARD-LINE’s teleremote technology, known as TeleOp, in North, Central, and South America as well as Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.

“Partnering with Hexagon is a significant step in our evolution and really shows our ability and desire to grow and adapt,” Walter Siggelkow, HARD-LINE’s President, says. “This will allow both companies to be even more competitive globally, especially in massive mining markets like Latin America.”

Some other products receiving distribution include HARD-LINE’s RRC (Radio Remote Control) as well as BackBone Networks, Brow Alert, Brake Release and Farsight.

President of Hexagon’s Mining Division, Nick Hare, said: “We’re looking forward to collaborating with HARD-LINE, which shares our vision of a future that’s safer, sustainable and increasingly autonomous.”

Hard-Line’s Teleop system receives LTE certification with Redline partnership

Redline Communications Group and HLS Hard-Line Solutions have successfully integrated the operation of Hard-Line’s Teleop Teleremote Control System with Redline’s industrial Private LTE solution, enabling tele-operation of heavy mining machinery from a remote-control station.

This integration will allow machinery such as rock breakers, drills, excavators, wheel loaders and dozers to be operated by operators totally out of the proximity of danger, in addition to “more easily expand a mine’s progression”, Redline said.

“The system saves time, heightens operator safety, improves comfort, and allows a greater percentage of the workforce to operate equipment,” the company said. “Together, the companies demonstrated they could deliver safe, reliable and cost-effective remote operations, on a fit-for-purpose, secure private LTE infrastructure designed for the mining environment.”

Hard-Line is certified for installation of Redline Private LTE networks and is partnering with Redline to deliver communications infrastructure solutions to the mining industry. Its latest Teleop Auto system delivers 2D and 3D views, with ‘real-time’ operator control achievable when the system is coupled to robust communication networks.

Louis Lambert, Senior Vice President, Business Development for Redline Communications, said: “As the mining industry progresses through digital transformation to enable ‘smart mining’, private LTE is surfacing as the wireless technology of choice to deliver robust, reliable and secure mobile communications.”

Hard-Line’s, Scott Whelan, Vice President of Sales, said: “As a result of our collaboration with Redline, Hard-Line is now certified in both Wi-Fi and LTE solutions to satisfy our customers’ needs. This enables our customers to have the flexibility to operate our products on the solution and infrastructure of their choice.”

In addition to the collaboration with Hard-Line, Redline continues to invest to further develop communication solutions that are fit-for-purpose for mining companies to deliver on smart mining initiatives globally, it said.