Tag Archives: Volvo Autonomous Solutions

Volvo and Boliden partner on autonomous transport and load solutions

Automation, Base metals, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) and Boliden have entered into a long-term collaboration that will see the pair take on various projects, the first of which will be the implementation of an autonomous transport and load solution for a dam project in Garpenberg, Sweden.

The MoU also includes an agreement by VAS to deliver an autonomous transport solution that will move rock fill from an on-site quarry.

As a part of the implementation, VAS will deliver a complete autonomous transport solution that includes vehicles, hardware, software, control room, repair and maintenance, and training. The solution will be based on the OEM’s in-house developed virtual driver and the Volvo Trucks’ premium truck range.

To prepare the site for the implementation of autonomous trucks, Boliden will adapt its operations and build the necessary infrastructure.

Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said: “Whether it is removing people from hazardous environments, 24/7 operations unencumbered by working hours or reducing emissions through better utilisation of resources and assets – autonomy offers several benefits that can help the mining and quarrying industries address its most pressing challenges. We are excited to partner with Boliden and support their journey towards a future where autonomous vehicles and humans work side by side to make Boliden’s operations safer, more efficient and sustainable.”

Mikael Staffas, President and CEO of Boliden, said: “Autonomous solutions benefit both safety and productivity. The partnership with VAS is therefore of great strategic importance and we are of course delighted with the project in Garpenberg already underway. Demand for base metals will increase going forward and sustainable as well as competitive solutions will be key in the value creation of mining.”

Foretellix expertise to speed up Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ time to market

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has signed an agreement with verification company Foretellix to, they say, jointly address the challenges of large-scale verification of autonomous driving solutions on highways and confined areas, such as mines.

Volvo’s partnership with Foretellix will see the two firms jointly create a Coverage Driven Verification solution for autonomous driving solutions. The solution will enable massive scale testing of millions of different scenarios, which will validate autonomous vehicles and machines dealing with anything they might encounter within their specified Operational Design Domain (ODD), according to Volvo.

The partnership will focus on providing high levels of safety and productivity of Volvo Autonomous Solution vehicles and machines.

The ability of the solution to orchestrate large scale simulation and conduct the big data analysis required will lead to a substantial reduction in costs and time to market, ensuring faster operational readiness and the ability to safely scale up the system across multiple sites and ODDs, according to Volvo.

Foretellix, Volvo says, is a pioneer in the commercialisation of coverage-driven methodologies for automated driving systems verification. It developed a novel verification platform that uses intelligent automation and big data analysis tools that coordinate and monitor millions of driving scenarios to expose bugs and edge cases, including the most extreme examples.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions will jointly adapt Foretellix’s verification system for applications in mining and quarrying, with both companies using the Open Measurable Scenario Description Language (M-SDL) created by Foretellix. M-SDL simplifies the capture, reuse and sharing of scenarios, and can specify any mix of scenarios and operating conditions, to identify previously unknown hazards, according to Volvo.

Magnus Liljeqvist, Global Technology Manager for Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said: “Volvo Autonomous Solutions believes in a collaborative verification concept, one that uses open standards. The partnership with Foretellix gives us access to the state-of-the-art verification tools and accelerating our time to market.”

Ziv Binyamini, CEO and co-Founder of Foretellix, said: “This partnership is a significant milestone for the industry as it is the first time that large scale Coverage Driven Verification will be used for verification of ADS in confined areas. Our partnership will combine the expertise of the two companies and set a new standard in the verification of automated driving systems, boosting both safety and productivity.”

In 2020, both companies conducted a successful pre-study that evaluated the Foretellix portfolio and its potential value in confined areas.

Yesterday, Volvo Construction Equipment confirmed it was building the world’s first test and demonstration area for electric, autonomous transport solutions at its Customer Center in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Electric, autonomous transport to be demoed at Volvo CE’s Eskilstuna

Automation, Communications in mining, Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Volvo Construction Equipment says it is building the world’s first test and demonstration area for electric, autonomous transport solutions at its Customer Center in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Construction has already begun on the brand-new area, which will be dedicated to testing and demonstrating the latest innovations in sustainable power, connectivity and autonomous solutions.

This 66,000 m² innovation zone will include a secure track for full-electric, automated and teleoperated machines with charging infrastructure and 5G connectivity, a control and training room building, a spectator stand and training area for the Volvo Co-Pilot assist functions.

Chief among the innovations on display will be the TARA autonomous transport solution from Volvo Autonomous Solutions for defined sites, such as quarries or mines.

At the heart of TARA is the TA15 battery electric and autonomous hauler, the next commercialisation step in the concept that began with the Electric Site project and the bidirectional, cabless, battery electric and autonomous HX02 hauler.

Calle Skillsäter, Technical Specialist in connected machines at Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said: “We are excited to demonstrate our complete TARA solution to customers, including how to set up and run the site, how to charge and store the TA15 electric autonomous haulers, and how we manage the control room and surveillance operations – everything in a brand-new state-of-the-art facility.”

The secure track will also showcase remote-controlled machines, which can also be used in quarries or mines using two tele-operation rigs installed in one of the control rooms. Another of the control rooms, meanwhile, will demonstrate in real time how Volvo CE’s uptime and productivity services can reduce customers’ total cost of ownership and operation, the company said.

Back in July, Volvo Autonomous Solutions President, Nils Jaeger, told IM that the test track already had six TA15 haulers running, and an R&D team was working on the development of future automation functionality/capability as well as operating the current test fleet.

He also confirmed Harsco Environmental and Volvo Autonomous Solutions had a joint project at Harsco’s location at the Ovako Steelworks in Hofors, Sweden, where adapted TA15 haulers were being used as slag carriers during a year-long pilot.

Carl Slotte, Head of Sales Region Europe & International at Volvo CE, added: “This is an important strategic investment, not just for Volvo CE and Volvo Autonomous Solutions but the entire Volvo Group, and is proof of our commitment to drive sustainability through innovation. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to this world-class facility and allowing them to experience exactly how we are building tomorrow.”

The innovation area is expected to open later this year.

Volvo builds out automation offering on industry demand

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , ,

Volvo is stepping up its automation efforts across multiple industry segments, including mining, with the addition of a new autonomous solutions business area from the start of 2020.

The Volvo Autonomous Solutions business area will accelerate the development, commercialisation and sales of autonomous transport solutions, the company says.

This will enable the Volvo Group to meet a growing demand and to offer the best possible solutions to customers in segments such as mining, ports and transport between logistics centres, it added.

“With global developments that are characterised by higher demand for transportation, increasingly congested roads and major environmental challenges, the industry needs to provide transport solutions that are safer, have a lower environmental impact and are more efficient,” the company said.

“Autonomous transport solutions, based on self-driving and connectivity technologies are well-suited for applications where there is a need to move large volumes of goods and material on pre-defined routes, in repetitive flows. In such situations, autonomous transport solutions can create value for customers by contributing to improved flexibility, delivery precision and productivity.”

Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO of Volvo Group, said the company has experienced a significant increase in enquiries from customers on automation projects.

“With the Volvo Group’s wide range of offerings and broad experience of different applications, we have a unique opportunity to offer solutions that meet their specific needs,” he said. “It is a logical next step for us to gather expertise and resources in a new business area with profit and loss responsibility to take autonomous transport solutions to the next level.”

The Volvo Group has already demonstrated a number of different autonomous transport solutions.

In the Electric Site project, material handling in Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry, near Gothenburg, Sweden, was automated and electrified. The result was a safer working environment and a reduction of operator costs by 40% and of carbon dioxide emissions by 98%, according to the company.

Since then, the company has announced investments at its Eskilstuna site in Sweden, including an arena for customer demonstrations of electric and autonomous machines, a new R&D test track and an energy recovery system for the factory.

At the Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway, autonomous Volvo FH trucks (pictured) will be used in commercial operation to transport limestone along a 5 km stretch, the company added.

Another pioneering initiative is the self-driving, connected and electric vehicle Vera. In its first assignment Vera will form part of an integrated solution to transport goods from a logistics centre to a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions will constitute a new business area as of January 1, 2020, with its financial results reported as part of the Truck segment, it said.