Booyco officials said the upcoming safety changes are related to Chapter 8 of the country's Mine Health and Safety Act and require mines take "reasonably practicable measures" between trackless mobile machines (TMMs) as well as TMMs and pedestrians.

According to the company, it was the first to begin Level 9 testing in South Africa. The testing, conducted by the University of Pretoria's Vehicle Dynamics Group, align with international standard ISO21815.

Level 9 compliance regulations are projected to be finalised by the end of this year.

Anton Lourens, CEO of Booyco, explained that the Level 9 standard is one that raises the bar "significantly" as it mandates PDS systems take over TMM control automatically and bring it to a stop in dangerous situations.

"This elevates what is traditionally called a PDS into what is really a collision avoidance - or collision management - system," Lourens added. The outlines appear to be similar to current US outlines for collision avoidance technology.

The country's previous measures, Level 7 and Level 8, respectively outlined systems to warn pedestrians of their TMM proximity and systems which could deliver advisory instruction to operators.

Lourens points to Booyco's relationships with the manufacturers of TMMs for its ability to make progress in its equipment-machine testing.

"This ensures that our technology can assist to safely and effectively bring a vehicle to a standstill when required," he said.