For safer, more efficient battery mineral mines, this driverless Toyota Hilux will operate alongside autonomous Komatsu trucks

Komatsu and Toyota have announced a joint project aimed at developing an Autonomous Light Vehicle (ALV) that will operate on Komatsu's Autonomous Haulage System (AHS).

The collaboration aims to enhance safety and productivity in mining operations by utilizing autonomous haul trucks and automated ALVs controlled by AHS. The companies are currently testing a concept ALV based on the Toyota Hilux, and plan to demonstrate a proof of concept at a customer site by January 2024.

Work on mining sites often involve heavy machinery, which can be dangerous if the operator fails to follow strict operating procedures or is not alert due to fatigue.

Driverless vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles, are a way to improve safety by removing humans from hazardous environments. With driverless vehicles, mining companies can also mitigate labor shortages and ensure the continued supply of critical minerals, especially for EV batteries, which are in high demand.

Komatsu has a strong track record in driverless vehicles. It deployed the world's first commercial application of an AHS introduced in 2008.

Currently, when autonomous haul trucks and manually-driven light vehicles share haulage roads on a mining site, the autonomous trucks will either reduce speed or stop completely to avoid collisions caused by human error. This of course, slows down productivity.

To address these challenges and expedite progress in autonomy for mining, Komatsu and Toyota are collaborating. Komatsu will develop a new management program for ALVs within its AHS supervisory system, while Toyota will focus on developing ALVs capable of autonomous operation under AHS control. This way, a single Komatsu-controlled system can remotely supervise both heavy haulage trucks and light maintenance vehicles like a Toyota Hilux.