Designed to support the future of unmanned mines, Chinese manufacturer XCMG Machinery has released three new products: the XDR80TE-AT autonomous electric dump truck, the XE690DK mining excavator and the XDE240 mining dump truck.
The cab-less XDR80TE-AT has two modes of operation – remote control and fully autonomous artificial intelligence control. (Check out a rendering of the truck in action in the video below.)
The truck is decked out with visual and acoustic sensors, laser radar, millimeter-wave radar and cameras to scan the operating environment and draw the virtual topographic map.
In remote control mode, the truck uses the sensor to send information back to the remote cockpit through 5G technology for an immersive driving experience for the operator.
By switching to full autonomous mode, AI technology will take over the vehicle, setting the destination and planning the routes following the mine’s production schedule. The truck will coordinate its operation with other equipment regardless of automation.
When an obstacle is encountered, the AI will conduct a safety assessment and automatically decide where to reroute the vehicle.
Once the vehicle reaches its destination, it communicates with the field equipment to determine the best parking location for loading. Once loaded, the truck resets its navigation target and proceeds to the next point.
