Automatic for the people

At Fortescue Metals Group’s Solomon Hub in the Western Australian desert, a Caterpillar 793F haul truck drives from point A to point B, positions itself below an excavator, and accepts a bucket load of iron ore. As the 793F drives away with its booty, a second haul truck embarks from point A and imitates its colleague’s movement – down to the last metre

Automatic for the people Automatic for the people Automatic for the people Automatic for the people Automatic for the people

An autonomous Cat 793F operates at Fortescue's Solomon Hub

This demonstration, which Mining Magazine witnessed via live Skype feed from a Caterpillar event outside Tucson, Arizona, would have looked familiar to anyone who has visited an underground mine, but