Wilpinjong is currently trialing – and helping develop – semi-autonomous bulldozer technology.
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Wilpinjong general manager, Blair Jackson, said their involvement in the pioneering technology, which allowed an operator at a console to drive a bulldozer remotely, was groundbreaking.
“The technology is also very exciting, not only for Wilpinjong and Peabody, but also for the industry,” he said.
“The critical part of that is the involvement in the development alongside UQ, Caterpillar in the United States and the CAT dealer in Australia WesTrac.
“We're the first site in Australia to have this technology and if you get in early you can actually influence how the technology is implemented.
“You can drive what you want it to be and make sure it's practical and a reliable and safe means of working, which is where the industry needs to be in and around the efficiencies.”
Similar technology in trucks is currently in use at other sites around Australia, however Mr Jackson said their only plans involve the dozer.
The technology is very exciting, not only for Wilpinjong and Peabody, but also for the industry.
- Blair Jackson
Operator Tim Loughnan has been training in the new dozer, which he said is giving him new skills to adapt to the new way of operating the machinery.
He said the biggest change was “not having the feeling in the seat of your pants” with the physical disconnect.
The upside of that is “you feel a lot fresher at the end of the day” as it's become more “managing” the dozer.
The University of Queensland component of the project is being conducted by the Smart Machines Group in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering under the leadership of Professor Ross McAree.
"This is a really exciting project at the cutting-edge of mining automation,” he said.
“It targets increased safety and operational efficiency of production bulldozing.
“A great example of use-inspired research. It’s been facilitated by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and has brought together Peabody Energy, Caterpillar Inc and researchers at the University of Queensland to deliver a significant innovation for the mining sector.”
Caterpillar engineering fellow for automation and enterprise solutions, Ken Stratton, said that “Command for dozing is world leading in earth-moving technology” and “allows better productivity per operator”.