Volvo Uses Autonomous Trucks to Haul Limestone out of an Open Pit Mine in Norway

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Volvo has enlisted the use of self-driving vehicle technology to automate the transport of truckloads of limestone from an open pit mine to a nearby port. The six autonomous trucks are managed by the operator of a wheel loader. They will call a truck over and then proceed to fill it. Then the truck will autonomously navigate the open mine pit, a tunnel, sharp turns, and lastly the crusher site. There the truck will automatically back up to the crusher machine and empty its load. Volvo takes full responsibility for the operation of the truck fleet as the customer buys a total transport service and also pays per tonne delivered.

"It is exciting to reach this point where we introduce autonomous solutions, says Sasko Cuklev, Director Autonomous Solutions at Volvo Trucks. By working in a confined area on a predetermined route, we can find out how to get the best out of the solution and tailor it according to specific customer needs. This is all about collaborating to develop new solutions, providing greater flexibility and efficiency as well as increased productivity."
 
I find it amazing that all the tech involved plus the risk is less expensive than human drivers.
 
Laowai said:
I find it amazing that all the tech involved plus the risk is less expensive than human drivers.
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Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job (seriously, how mind numbingly boring is it to drive truck down a hole, drive truck out of a hole, rinse repeat), come to work hungover, mad at their wife/child/boss which in turn causes them not to pay attention, etc.
They get a paycheck but that's not all the company has to pay. There's payroll taxes like FICA, health care, daycare, 401k etc.
Automation is a one time cost.
 
Probleminfected said:
Byebye jobs.
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It would be bye bye jobs as these jobs are not profitable here, cheaper to buy stone from Italy or something.
This actually creates job in said country as someone have to manage these systems and if these systems aren't being implemented they go bankrupt as a ship from halfway around the world is cheaper.
 
Jim Kim said:
Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job (seriously, how mind numbingly boring is it to drive truck down a hole, drive truck out of a hole, rinse repeat), come to work hungover, mad at their wife/child/boss which in turn causes them not to pay attention, etc.
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Yes. I understand.
I still find it amazing that this kind of tech and risk cost less. Not something I expected to see in my lifetime when I was a kid. Maybe I'm just old.
 
Bet they do a better job too...they won't get bored or have a sneeze attack just in time to go off a cliff. I just hope the drivers can be repurposed into other jobs.
 
Jim Kim said:
Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job (seriously, how mind numbingly boring is it to drive truck down a hole, drive truck out of a hole, rinse repeat), come to work hungover, mad at their wife/child/boss which in turn causes them not to pay attention, etc.
They get a paycheck but that's not all the company has to pay. There's payroll taxes like FICA, health care, daycare, 401k etc.
Automation is a one time cost.
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WhoMe said:
Bet they do a better job too...they won't get bored or have a sneeze attack just in time to go off a cliff. I just hope the drivers can be repurposed into other jobs.
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Why even have humans? They are basically a virus anyway.
 
Probleminfected said:
Why even have humans? They are basically a virus anyway.
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Well yeah, New Yorker had a good cover about that awhile ago, basically all humans had been replaced by robots from beggars to hipsters to overpriced apartment dwellers. Of course with CRISPR maybe we can create people who work as well as robots but are cheaper to maintain and easier to program.
 
Jim Kim said:
Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job
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And still the trucks drive them self as the driver will be busy liking pictures of cupcakes on social media.
 
Oldmodder said:
And still the trucks drive them self as the driver will be busy liking pictures of cupcakes on social media.
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Joust said:
Cats. Surely.
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You bring up a good point - if automation makes humanity irrelevant, who will take care of the cats? And who will photograph them? Or the cows, what other animal is more dependent on humans than cows? Except maybe chickens.

BUMPER STICKER: "Save our cats. End automation."


P.S. Of course, if Skynet goes live and decides to kill off all the cats before it sets to work on humans that might make it all worth it, because cats are a bunch of assholes anyway. I'd stay up to see that show, I can almost imagine a C-800 'Cat' Terminator with an internally mounted phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range, walking around hunting cats and using Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice to say, "Meow. Meow."
 
Probleminfected said:
Byebye jobs.
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Not really. "The agreement involves a deal whereby the customer buys a total transport service and pays per tonne delivered." I am sure they are getting a steal for being the first to use it...but like any transport service its not always cost effective to contract that work out. It also puts your business at risk by adding a dependency on another company. With a normal truck and driver you own the truck and can save money in the long haul through things like depreciation etc.

I think automation is the future but I dont think this "you dont own the equipment" is the right way.
 
Laowai said:
I find it amazing that all the tech involved plus the risk is less expensive than human drivers.
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It may not be. Wallstreeter types have such a hard-on against decent wages they'd rather overpay machines than pay people.
 
Jim Kim said:
Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job (seriously, how mind numbingly boring is it to drive truck down a hole, drive truck out of a hole, rinse repeat), come to work hungover, mad at their wife/child/boss which in turn causes them not to pay attention, etc.
They get a paycheck but that's not all the company has to pay. There's payroll taxes like FICA, health care, daycare, 401k etc.
Automation is a one time cost.
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I don't disagree with your overall point, but automation is NOT a one time cost. Those trucks and the equipment needed for them to be automated need maintenance beyond what just the truck itself would have needed.
 
Jagger100 said:
It may not be. Wallstreeter types have such a hard-on against decent wages they'd rather overpay machines than pay people.
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Hardly. Its all about cost. You forget that employees cost more than just their wages. If I pay you $15/hr you probably cost me $20/hr or more. The more benefits you get the more you cost your employer. As the post below yours posts out machines arent just acquisition costs either. They are an ongoing cost.

"Wall street types" are all about profits. If automation gets them profits they will go that way. If human labor is cheaper they go that way.
 
Actually this is a good use of autonomy. These jobs are generally extremely dangerous, enough so that corporations spend billions on insurance and safety issues. One death, injury, or accident in a work place like a limestone quarry can set you back millions in current society. This is not work conducive to the human body.

If a rock-slide crushes your autonomous truck, its only the million in cash you paid for it. If someone is injured or dies you are forking money over for lawsuits, medical, and higher insurance costs not to mention government types start showing up and fining you for every little thing wrong... like 250K$ fine because a fire extinguisher doesn't have red tape on the ground in front of it. Usually industrial accidents are pretty spectacular, so one incident usually involves multiple injuries and or deaths.

A bad use of autonomy is a burger flipping machine. Seriously leave food jobs alone, we need at least one source of grueling and demeaning work to make people appreciate a nice comfy desk job.
 
Forget "bye bye jobs" how about bye bye EARTH! If these can operate 24/7 without humans how much quicker will these mines empty? If we have enough autonomous robots mining the Earth nonstop we're going to be screwed even faster than us screwing it up... I imagine if they become so efficient they will have to be regulated only to do so much.
 
Rahh said:
Forget "bye bye jobs" how about bye bye EARTH! If these can operate 24/7 without humans how much quicker will these mines empty? If we have enough autonomous robots mining the Earth nonstop we're going to be screwed even faster than us screwing it up... I imagine if they become so efficient they will have to be regulated only to do so much.
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These are just the trucks that haul the stuff away....
 
Jim Kim said:
Humans get sick, take breaks for lunch/rest/bathroom, need sleep, use recreational substances on the job (seriously, how mind numbingly boring is it to drive truck down a hole, drive truck out of a hole, rinse repeat), come to work hungover, mad at their wife/child/boss which in turn causes them not to pay attention, etc.
They get a paycheck but that's not all the company has to pay. There's payroll taxes like FICA, health care, daycare, 401k etc.
Automation is a one time cost.
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"Automation is a one time cost."

Tell that to Lion Air and Boeing (Lion Air Flight 610). I'm certain they'll be paying that one time cost for years to come.
 
make everything automated so noone will work and everything will have to be free

we'll have machines fixing machines

i'll be fucking for GOD, who do you fuck for?
 
Rahh said:
Forget "bye bye jobs" how about bye bye EARTH! If these can operate 24/7 without humans how much quicker will these mines empty? If we have enough autonomous robots mining the Earth nonstop we're going to be screwed even faster than us screwing it up... I imagine if they become so efficient they will have to be regulated only to do so much.
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I'm pretty sure most mines operate 24/7 already.
 
Corporal Hicks said:
"Automation is a one time cost."

Tell that to Lion Air and Boeing (Lion Air Flight 610). I'm certain they'll be paying that one time cost for years to come.
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Did you really just make an account to bring up a pilot training failure.

Plus Flight 610's automation was really a one time cost.;)

sick joke is sick
 
KarsusTG said:
Ya, but truckers make 50-80k+ so it doesn't take much to offset a worker.
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Seriously? That seems a bit much to go from point A to point B.
I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds though, most things aren't.
I was thinking the risk part would be potentially more expensive anyway. By risk...what happens if a person is injured or killed by one of these vehicles.
The lawsuit(s) would be nasty I'd imagine.
 
Jim Kim said:
Did you really just make an account to bring up a pilot training failure.

Plus Flight 610's automation was really a one time cost.;)

sick joke is sick
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Am I the only one that finds it amusing that when the plane crashes because of buggy hardware/software in an autopilot we call it pilot failure but when a car crashes for the same reason we blame the manufacturer?
 
Laowai said:
Seriously? That seems a bit much to go from point A to point B.
I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds though, most things aren't.
I was thinking the risk part would be potentially more expensive anyway. By risk...what happens if a person is injured or killed by one of these vehicles.
The lawsuit(s) would be nasty I'd imagine.
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most mines are in shitty remote locations, the work is dull, very repetitive, and depends on the mine is fairly risky. You volunteering to work in say Fort McMurray on a midnight shift for 15 bucks an hours?
 
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