This guideline is designed as a practical recipe for mining companies looking to implement a mixed open autonomous fleet of haul trucks underground.
It explores which mines are best suited for autonomy—which are those that are large and long-lasting enough to justify the higher capital expenditure against (presumably) lower operational costs to traditional haulage. Mines should also value the additional flexibility offered versus fixed material haulage systems and be willing to handle the complexity and risks of implementing a pioneering system.
There are different strategies for achieving open autonomous haulage underground, such as safety gated environments, fully open environments, collaborative autonomy, and leveraging decentralized swarm intelligence.
However, these systems are all built on a foundation of key technologies, including:
Operationally, a mine would input workflows into a fleet management system. From a central control center, the system would handle dynamic routing, sending instructions to the trucks for loading, dumping, and obstacle navigation, while monitoring progress in real time. The trucks would then autonomously travel from the loading point to the dump, safely interacting with personnel, vehicles, and infrastructure.
This entire process requires centralized control, monitoring, and planning. It also necessitates truck and system maintenance, safety and compliance measures, and emergency protocols.
Additionally, existing standards and operational readiness work from open-pit mining provide a foundation for underground autonomy.
To build a strong business case, it’s important to weigh potential benefits against risks. The biggest risks are related to people, processes, and technology. Mines might have existing inefficiencies that, if not addressed, can lead to improper scoping and lack of stakeholder buy-in.
To mitigate these risks, a staged implementation plan is recommended, starting with a pre-feasibility assessment. You’ll also find a pre-feasibility assessment example, ecosystem players, case studies, and references to relevant standards and guidelines.