Abstract

The development and testing of autonomous mining equipment/vehicles in real mining environments is a challenging process, which is normally carried out by the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) when automating their own equipment (eg trucks). However, as the need of more affordable, flexible and innovative automation solutions for mining equipment/vehicles has open the door for new technological solutions developed by METS (Mining Equipment, Technology and Services) companies and research centers, the development and testing of the autonomous systems need to be addressed using a different approach. In this context, this paper describes the development and testing of automation systems for LHD (Load-Haul-Dump) machines carried out by the Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC). The main goal is to describe this process as a case study, which can be serve as an example to other developers.