BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China has developed an autonomous mining vehicle that can operate 24 hours a day and be loaded and unloaded automatically, China Daily reported Wednesday.
Developed by Inner Mongolia North Heavy Industries Group Corp, the driverless vehicle is 12.7 meters long and 5.2 meters tall, with a capacity of 110 metric tons. It can find its way around and identify unloading positions by means of precision satellite, and it can avoid obstacles by using laser sensors and other devices.
Its development is the first step in constructing fully automated mines that will reduce costs, boost efficiency and achieve safe production by eliminating dangerous roles for human laborers, the newspaper quoted Wang Fengquan, the project manager, as saying.
The vehicle is still in the debugging stage and is expected to enter a trial operation in the first half of this year.
Its developer is also working with a chain of China's top manufacturers and academic institutions to develop a coordinated data sharing platform that enables better management of these vehicles and creates better transportation conditions for them.
In recent years, China has advocated more applications for robots and intelligent technologies in mines to reduce safety hazards.
